# J. Cole Reflects on Kendrick Lamar Feud & Confirms He’s Not Retiring: ‘I’m Not Using That Word at All’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/j-cole-reflects-on-kendrick-lamar-feud-confirms-hes-not-retiring-im-not-using-that-word-at-all/
- Published: 2026-10-28T23:04:20+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-28T23:19:50+00:00
- Original publisher: Billboard
- Original article: https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/j-cole-kendrick-lamar-feud-not-retiring-1236369930/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- J. Cole says retirement is no longer in his plans.
- A sold-out arena tour helped change his mind.
- He reflected on apologising to Kendrick Lamar in 2024.

## Summary

J. Cole says he no longer plans to retire, reversing his intention while making his 2026 album, *The Fall-Off*, to make it his final release. A sold-out arena tour after the album’s release helped change his mind, although he says he does not know when he will next release music.

Cole also discussed his conflicted response to Kendrick Lamar during their 2024 feud, saying he felt constrained by Lamar’s planned guest verses on the album and his own belief that he was nearing retirement. He released the diss track “7 Minute Drill”, then apologised to Lamar at Dreamville Festival and withdrew from the feud; the track was later removed from streaming services.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.