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Fat Joe performs onstage during Jamz and Conversations with Jimmy Jam on January 15, 2026, in New York City.
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Key Takeaways:
- Fat Joe questioned J. Cole’s place in the “Big Three” because the rapper apologized to Kendrick Lamar.
- Jadakiss defended Cole, saying lyrics and fans matter more than beef.
- The debate reveals generational tensions over how legacy is defined in Hip Hop.
J. Cole has begun the rollout of his long-awaited The Fall-Off album and has sparked excitement in the process. However, Fat Joe is at least one person questioning if the North Carolina rapper should still be considered one of the Hip Hop game’s elite artists.
During the latest episode of Joe Crack and Jadakiss’ “Joe and Jada” podcast on Tuesday (Jan. 20), the pair discussed Cole’s legacy. First, Jadakiss revealed that the “Crooked Smile” rapper is dropping a mixtape before the arrival of The Fall-Off. According to the Yonkers icon, Cole is rapping over a pair of The LOX instrumentals (“Money, Power & Respect” and “Can I Live”) on the project and is “coming back in a major way.”
However, despite Jadakiss’ co-sign, Joe was skeptical. “Do we look at him the same, being that they screwed his head off the big three?” he asked. His question references how Cole essentially steered clear of the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake in 2024. At its onset, Cole released a track called “7 Minute Drill” aiming shots at K. Dot after the Compton rapper’s “Like That” verse. However, he quickly backpedaled, noting that his heart just wasn’t into a battle that he felt would cost him a friendship.
While Jadakiss was adamant that Cole’s bars would deflect criticism, Joe stood on the spirit of Hip Hop being essential, no matter the odds — and that means choosing to battle. “I’m talking about Hip Hop, right?” Joe said, noting that The LOX took on 50 Cent, who was a commercial rap juggernaut. “So, what I’m saying to you is, [The LOX was] f**kin’ miniature compared to [50 Cent]. 50 Cent just sold 30 million records. You went at him. You went to the yard with the swarm.”
To this, Jadakiss said Joe answered his own question because it was the lyrics and the “people in the street” that decided, not record sales.
“[J. Cole] didn’t come outside, Jada,” Joe lamented.
Sounds like they both agreed on one point, though. It’s going to be up to the fans to decide where J. Cole stands.
