Reactions to "7 Minute Drill," J Cole's clapback at Kendrick Lamar's diss against him, have been pretty split among the hip-hop community. Everyone seems to be celebrating the back-and-forth as competitive spirit, but the jury's still out on whether it was actually an appropriate, cutting, or worthwhile response. Joe Budden and the rest of the members of his podcast said during their latest episode that the Dreamville boss did not strike gold with this diss track as he likely wanted to. While there were a few different points here, the most salient and reoccurring one in their discussion was that Cole just doesn't have the conviction or energy to back up this aggression.
"The tone," Joe Budden remarked as to what his main problem with the verse was, or at least the point he and his cohosts discussed the most. "This is my issue with this f**&ing narcoleptic sounding s**t. This sounds like... if I was actively looking to cop fentanyl this is what I would put on. I want to hear him sound alive." Regardless of this criticism, it seems like the surprise mixtape that J. Cole put "7 Minute Drill" on will still perform quite well.
The Joe Budden Podcast Discusses J Cole's "7 Minute Drill": Watch
Of course, commercial success doesn't really get at the heart of most rap beef, especially between two lyricists who champion artistry and skill like J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar do. But this moment is easily one of the biggest in rap of 2024 so far, and no discussion on quality can take that away. Now all that's left to prove is whether or not "The Big Three" will fully rise to the competitive occasion or just see this as a big moment for some quick engagement. With many others in the hip-hop world responding passionately to this confrontation, there's a lot of pressure on them to perform.
On that note, we still haven't (un-subliminally) heard from Drake, who arguably caught the brunt of K.Dot's ire on "Like That" rather than the MC who actually responded. Maybe his hypothetical response will have more fire than what Budden thought Cole had on "7 Minute Drill." Do you think it's a worthy comparison point or did the North Carolina spitter satisfy your hunger? Let us know in the comments and keep checking in with HNHH for more on Joe Budden, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole.