J. Cole on Lil Wayne–Jay-Z Beef: "Not a Real Situation"
The long-simmering tiff between Lil Wayne and Jay-Z may be heating up even more of late, but J. Cole doesn't think it's that deep. The North Carolina rapper, who's signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation imprint, talked with Hot 97's Angie Martinez yesterday and shared his thoughts on the so-called beef.
“I honestly don’t think it feels like anything, for real.... I’m sure they throwing jabs on songs, but don’t we all do that? That’s just part of the game,” he said. “Wayne’s just happened to be like, 'OK, you went all the way. You really let it be known.' But it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a jab-throwing sport. I personally like it. I love when I hear a jab and I know it. I love it.”
Cole said that he himself has been the target of subliminal shots from his peers — though he wouldn't name names. “It’d be from people. I see these people, I know these people. It’s not like animosity. I see them, I say what’s up. It’s a sparring of words — that’s it,” he said.
The "Work Out" rapper, who just dropped his studio debut, Cole World: The Sideline Story, also said that he wouldn't necessarily jump in to defend another Roc Nation artist in an on-wax beef (sorry, Jay). “It depends," he said. "My heart tells me no, because it’s not a real situation. Like, what is it really about? Then how am I connected to that?”
Click here for the rest of the interview, in which J also discusses the Rihanna rumors, among other things.
(PhotoL: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)