Rating: 4.8/10

Two weeks after Kendrick Lamar aimed a diss track at Drake and J.Cole on “Like That,” Cole released “Might Delete Later,” a surprise project featuring a response titled “7 Minute Drill.”

“Might Delete Later” came after Cole’s sixth studio album “The Off-Season,” released in 2021. It features Ari Lennox, Gucci Mane, Bas, Central Cee and Cam’Ron.

The comparison between Lamar and Cole has been a topic of conversation within the hip-hop community in recent weeks, as the two hip-hop giants continue their tiring feud over who is the greatest. 

The feud started with Cole’s bars on Drake’s song “First Person Shooter” comparing him, Lamar and Drake by putting them on the same level of success.

“Love when they argue the hardest MC/ Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?/ We the big three like we started a league,” Cole raps.

“Yeah get up with me, f— sneak dissin’/ first-person shooter, I hope they came with three switches,” Lamar replied on “Like That,” a song featured on Metro Boomin and Future’s collaborative album “We Don’t Trust You.”

“Mother—— the big three, n—–, it’s just big me,” Lamar raps, his words flowing smoothly.

Drake vaguely referenced Lamar’s diss on his current tour, but Cole opened “7 Minute Drill” by directly addressing Lamar’s diss.  

“I got a phone call, they say that somebody dissin’/ You want some attention, it come with extensions,” he raps. “He still doin’ shows but fell off like ‘The Simpsons’/ Your first shit was classic, your last shit was tragic/ Your second s— put n—– to sleep, but they gassed it/ Your third s— was massive and that was your prime/ I was trailin’ right behind and I just now hit mine.”

Coles continues the song by criticizing Lamar’s albums and the Grammy’s for awarding the Compton rapper so greatly.

Lamar has 50 nominations and 17 wins, while Cole has 17 nominations and two wins. 

Unfortunately, “7 Minute Drill” isn’t a very memorable diss track — it’s weak, fatigued and lacks the ferocity needed to make a successful diss track. Cole sounds worn out — his flow tirelessly droning on — as if he doesn’t even believe his own diss.

“Might Delete Later” feels underproduced and consists of underwhelming beats, dull flows and corny lyrics. While the second half of the album is better than the first, it’s still beyond saving — even with the featured artists who provide some of the album’s only redeeming qualities. 

Ari Lennox’s silky vocals grace “Pricey,” navigating through the beat effortlessly and making it one of the album’s standout tracks, and Bas delivers a smooth flow and a catchy hook on “Stealth Mode.”

“Might Delete Later” is boring. It’s an unremarkable and subpar album that is ultimately overshadowed by Cole and Kendrick’s beef, which diminishes the few positive aspects of the project. 

The album feels like a messy, last-minute project hastily thrown together in an attempt to prove Cole as the better rapper — which ultimately fails. 

Cole, maybe don’t delete it later — delete it right now.

[email protected]