J.Cole issues apology to Kendrick Lamar

J.Cole expressed his apology to Kendrick Lamar on his newly released surprise project, Birthday Blizzard ’26, which arrived just hours before the rapper turned 41.

The four-track freestyle collection was released without prior notice and is available on J. Cole’s website for $1, with fans given the option to pay more. The project opens with “Bronx Zoo Freestyle,” where Cole reflected on the backlash he faced after apologising to Lamar and stepping away from the high-profile rap feud involving Lamar and Drake.

On the track, Cole references how the apology affected his standing in hip-hop, suggesting it pushed him out of the perceived “top three” rappers. However, he frames the moment as a reset, saying he is often at his best when underestimated. The lyrics allude to his 2024 diss track “7 Minute Drill,” which briefly targeted Lamar after Lamar and Drake were referenced on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” before Cole publicly expressed regret.

Cole first apologised during the Dreamville Music Festival in North Carolina in April 2024, calling his decision to engage in the rap battle a mistake. Speaking to the crowd at the time, he said the move did not sit right with him spiritually and disrupted his sense of peace, sentiments echoed again on the new freestyle, Rolling Stone reported.

The surprise release comes shortly after Cole announced his seventh studio album, The Fall-Off, which is scheduled to be released on February 6. A trailer for the album shows the rapper in quiet, everyday moments, accompanied by a reflective monologue about fame, decline, and how public narratives often oversimplify an artist’s journey.

Birthday Blizzard ’26 includes multiple freestyles: “Bronx Zoo Freestyle”, “Golden Goose Freestyle,” “Winter Storm Freestyle,” and “99 Build Freestyle” along with a full playthrough of the project. Together, the tracks offer a candid look at Cole’s mindset as he revisits one of the most talked-about moments of his recent career.