DISSNATION
Verified archive entry

7 Minute Drill

By J. Cole · Targeting Kendrick Lamar

7 Minute Drill is a diss track by J. Cole targeting Kendrick Lamar. J. Cole recorded ‘7 Minute Drill’ as an answer to Kendrick Lamar's ‘Like That’ verse, which rejected the idea that Lamar, Cole and Drake formed a shared ‘big three.’ Cole attacked Lamar's catalogue and release pace while repeatedly admitting affection and hesitation. Two days after release he apologized publicly and later removed the song from streaming, saying the attack did not sit right with him.

Released2024
Annotated10
ExplicitYes
Addressable transcript

Lyrics & breakdown

Demo lines only. Select a line number to copy a stable deep link.

  1. 01

    [Part I]

  2. 02

    [Intro]

    03

    Yeah

    04

    Turn it up

    05

    Yeah, turn the vocal up

    06

    Uh

  3. 07

    [Chorus]

    08

    Light work like it's PWC

    09

    It's a cold world, keep the heat under your seat

    10

    I got a phone call, they say that somebody dissin'

    11

    You want some attention, it come with extensions

  4. 12

    My dog like, "Say the word," he on bullshit, he itchin'

    13

    Done put in so much work in these streets, he got pension

    14

    I told him chill out, how I look havin' henchmen?

    15

    If shots get to poppin', I'm the one doin' the clenchin'

  5. 16

    [Verse]

    Multi-line diss block
    17

    I came up in the Ville, so I'm good when it's tension

    18

    He still doin' shows, but fell off like The Simpsons

    19

    Your first shit was classic, your last shit was tragic

    20

    Your second shit put niggas to sleep, but they gassed it

    Block noteScores Kendrick's albums as a decline

    TargetKendrick Lamar

    MeaningWhat it means: Cole says Kendrick's first project was classic, the second sleepy despite praise, the third his commercial peak and the latest tragic. Why it was said: Kendrick attacked the shared ‘big three’ ranking; Cole responds at the foundation of Kendrick's status by disputing the near-unanimous critical story about his catalogue.

    Wordplay‘Fell off like The Simpsons’ turns a long-running debate about the television show's decline into Cole's verdict on Kendrick.

    ContextJ. Cole recorded ‘7 Minute Drill’ as an answer to Kendrick Lamar's ‘Like That’ verse, which rejected the idea that Lamar, Cole and Drake formed a shared ‘big three.’ Cole attacked Lamar's catalogue and release pace while repeatedly admitting affection and hesitation. Two days after release he apologized publicly and later removed the song from streaming, saying the attack did not sit right with him.

  6. 21

    Your third shit was massive and that was your prime

    Multi-line diss block
    22

    I was trailin' right behind and I just now hit mine

    23

    Now I'm front of the line with a comfortable lead

    24

    How ironic, soon as I got it, now he want somethin' with me

    Block noteClaims their career lines have crossed

    TargetKendrick Lamar

    MeaningWhat it means: Cole concedes Kendrick reached a massive prime while Cole followed, then says he now holds a comfortable lead just as Kendrick wants conflict. Why it was said: The timeline makes the response less about one verse and more about succession: Cole argues that Kendrick chose to challenge him after the competitive advantage had changed hands.

    ContextJ. Cole recorded ‘7 Minute Drill’ as an answer to Kendrick Lamar's ‘Like That’ verse, which rejected the idea that Lamar, Cole and Drake formed a shared ‘big three.’ Cole attacked Lamar's catalogue and release pace while repeatedly admitting affection and hesitation. Two days after release he apologized publicly and later removed the song from streaming, saying the attack did not sit right with him.

  7. 25

    Well, he caught me at the perfect time, jump up and see

    Multi-line diss block
    26

    Boy, I got here off of bars, not no controversy

    27

    Funny thing about it, bitch, I don't even want the prestige

    28

    Fuck the Grammys 'cause them crackers ain't never done nothin' for me, ho

    Block noteSays controversy arrived after Cole's bar work

    TargetKendrick Lamar

    MeaningWhat it means: Cole claims he built his position through writing rather than provocation and rejects awards as the source of his prestige. Why it was said: Because ‘Like That’ instantly dominated discussion, Cole tries to separate attention generated by a diss from the slower authority he says he earned through verses.

    ContextJ. Cole recorded ‘7 Minute Drill’ as an answer to Kendrick Lamar's ‘Like That’ verse, which rejected the idea that Lamar, Cole and Drake formed a shared ‘big three.’ Cole attacked Lamar's catalogue and release pace while repeatedly admitting affection and hesitation. Two days after release he apologized publicly and later removed the song from streaming, saying the attack did not sit right with him.

  8. 29

    Slugs took my nigga's soul, drugs took another one

    Multi-line diss block
    30

    The rap beef ain't realer than the shit I seen in Cumberland

    31

    He averagin' one hard verse like every thirty months or somethin'

    32

    If he wasn't dissin', then we wouldn't be discussin' him

    Block noteContrasts real losses with a slow diss schedule

    TargetKendrick Lamar

    MeaningWhat it means: Cole says Cumberland County exposed him to death beyond rap, then mocks Kendrick for delivering one strong verse every thirty months and needing disses to restart discussion. Why it was said: The personal losses justify Cole's reluctance to treat rap conflict as life-or-death while the release-gap joke attacks Kendrick's scarcity as inactivity rather than mystique.

    ContextJ. Cole recorded ‘7 Minute Drill’ as an answer to Kendrick Lamar's ‘Like That’ verse, which rejected the idea that Lamar, Cole and Drake formed a shared ‘big three.’ Cole attacked Lamar's catalogue and release pace while repeatedly admitting affection and hesitation. Two days after release he apologized publicly and later removed the song from streaming, saying the attack did not sit right with him.

  9. 33

    Lord, don't make me have to smoke this nigga 'cause I fuck with him

    Multi-line diss block
    34

    But push come to shove, on this mic, I will humble him

    35

    I'm Nino with this thing, this that New Jack City meme

    36

    Yeah, I'm aimin' at G-Money, cryin' tears before I bust at him

    Block noteUses New Jack City to confess reluctant aggression

    TargetKendrick Lamar

    MeaningWhat it means: Cole says he cares about Kendrick but will humble him if pushed, comparing himself to Nino Brown crying before killing friend G-Money. Why it was said: The film scene captures the contradiction Cole later acknowledged publicly: he is participating in a battle he feels emotionally opposed to because competitive expectations demand a response.

    ContextJ. Cole recorded ‘7 Minute Drill’ as an answer to Kendrick Lamar's ‘Like That’ verse, which rejected the idea that Lamar, Cole and Drake formed a shared ‘big three.’ Cole attacked Lamar's catalogue and release pace while repeatedly admitting affection and hesitation. Two days after release he apologized publicly and later removed the song from streaming, saying the attack did not sit right with him.

  10. 37

    [Chorus]

    38

    Light work like it's PWC

    39

    It's a cold world, keep the heat under your seat

    40

    I got a phone call, they say that somebody dissin'

    41

    You want some attention, it come with extensions

  11. 42

    My dog like, "Say the word," he on bullshit, he itchin'

    43

    Done put in so much work in these streets, he got pension

    44

    I told him chill out, how I look havin' henchmen?

    45

    If shots get to poppin', I'm the one doin' the— (Conductor, conductor, conductor)

  12. 46

    [Part II]

  13. 47

    [Verse]

    48

    I got mixed feelings 'bout these fuckin' rap niggas

    49

    It's over for that cap, we official cap peelers

    50

    Two-six, we don't at niggas, we get at niggas

    51

    Shoot a nigga lights out, yeah, my dogs stat fillers

  14. 52

    Stat stuffers, triple-double, get your ass black duffled

    53

    Body bag, body bag, body bag

    54

    Cole World your instructor for Pilates class

    55

    Get a nigga stretched if I feel the disrespect, uh

  15. 56

    Your arms might be too short to box with the god

    Multi-line diss block
    57

    Who live his life without the pressures of a constant facade

    58

    I pray for peace, but if a nigga cease these positive vibes

    59

    A Falcon 9 inside my pocket, bitch, this rocket gon' fly

    Block noteQuestions the opponent's public facade

    TargetKendrick Lamar

    MeaningWhat it means: Cole says Kendrick's reach may be too short to box with him and contrasts his own life with the pressure of maintaining a constant persona. Why it was said: The attack suggests Kendrick's carefully constructed public image is restrictive, while Cole presents himself as freer and therefore harder to destabilize.

    Wordplay‘Arms too short to box with God’ is a familiar phrase repurposed for rap hierarchy.

    ContextJ. Cole recorded ‘7 Minute Drill’ as an answer to Kendrick Lamar's ‘Like That’ verse, which rejected the idea that Lamar, Cole and Drake formed a shared ‘big three.’ Cole attacked Lamar's catalogue and release pace while repeatedly admitting affection and hesitation. Two days after release he apologized publicly and later removed the song from streaming, saying the attack did not sit right with him.

  16. 60

    Now it's poppin' outside like the top of July

    Multi-line diss block
    61

    My text flooded with the hunger for a toxic reply

    62

    I'm hesitant, I love my brother, but I'm not gonna lie

    63

    I'm powered up for real, that shit would feel like swattin' a fly

    Block noteAdmits the reply was demanded more than desired

    TargetKendrick Lamar

    MeaningWhat it means: Cole describes messages asking for a toxic answer, confesses hesitation and love for Kendrick, then says the actual contest would feel effortless. Why it was said: The block exposes the social pressure behind the song. Fans wanted escalation, but Cole's affection makes the expected aggression feel manufactured—a conflict that anticipated his later apology.

    ContextJ. Cole recorded ‘7 Minute Drill’ as an answer to Kendrick Lamar's ‘Like That’ verse, which rejected the idea that Lamar, Cole and Drake formed a shared ‘big three.’ Cole attacked Lamar's catalogue and release pace while repeatedly admitting affection and hesitation. Two days after release he apologized publicly and later removed the song from streaming, saying the attack did not sit right with him.

  17. 64

    Four albums in twelve years, nigga, I can divide

    Multi-line diss block
    65

    Shit, if this is what you want, I'm indulgin' in violence

    66

    Put pictures in my home, aim the chrome at your eyelids

    67

    Fly pebbles at your dome, we the Stone Temple Pilots

    Block noteTurns twelve years and four albums into an availability charge

    TargetKendrick Lamar

    MeaningWhat it means: Cole divides Kendrick's four major albums across twelve years and follows the arithmetic with violent imagery. Why it was said: After criticizing Kendrick's release pace in Part I, he supplies the numerical exhibit: scarcity may protect quality, but Cole treats it as absence from the competitive field.

    ContextJ. Cole recorded ‘7 Minute Drill’ as an answer to Kendrick Lamar's ‘Like That’ verse, which rejected the idea that Lamar, Cole and Drake formed a shared ‘big three.’ Cole attacked Lamar's catalogue and release pace while repeatedly admitting affection and hesitation. Two days after release he apologized publicly and later removed the song from streaming, saying the attack did not sit right with him.

  18. 68

    This is merely a warning shot to back niggas down

    Multi-line diss block
    69

    Back in the town where they whippin' work and traffickin' pounds

    70

    My jack jumpin' 'bout a rapper makin' blasphemous sounds

    71

    Switchin' sides like the tassel on the cap and the gown

    Block noteLabels the track a warning rather than total war

    TargetKendrick Lamar

    MeaningWhat it means: Cole says this is a warning shot intended to push the rival back while his phone fills with reactions to blasphemous comments. Why it was said: Calling it a warning preserves room to stop. That restraint matters because Cole still sees Kendrick as a respected peer, not an enemy whose private life he intends to destroy.

    ContextJ. Cole recorded ‘7 Minute Drill’ as an answer to Kendrick Lamar's ‘Like That’ verse, which rejected the idea that Lamar, Cole and Drake formed a shared ‘big three.’ Cole attacked Lamar's catalogue and release pace while repeatedly admitting affection and hesitation. Two days after release he apologized publicly and later removed the song from streaming, saying the attack did not sit right with him.

  19. 72

    I'm fully loaded, nigga, I can drop two classics right now

    Multi-line diss block
    Block noteCloses by claiming two classics are ready

    TargetKendrick Lamar

    MeaningWhat it means: Cole answers the complaint about catalogue standing by saying he could immediately release two classic projects. Why it was said: The final boast returns the battle to productivity: where Kendrick's scarcity is framed as weakness, Cole presents unreleased abundance as his advantage.

    ContextJ. Cole recorded ‘7 Minute Drill’ as an answer to Kendrick Lamar's ‘Like That’ verse, which rejected the idea that Lamar, Cole and Drake formed a shared ‘big three.’ Cole attacked Lamar's catalogue and release pace while repeatedly admitting affection and hesitation. Two days after release he apologized publicly and later removed the song from streaming, saying the attack did not sit right with him.

  20. 73

    [Outro]

    74

    Hah, let me chill out, man (Conductor)

    75

    The Fall Off on the way, nigga