J. Cole’s “Might Delete Later” Poised For No. 1 Debut—Thanks In Part To Kendrick Lamar Diss

J. Cole dropped a surprise project on Thursday night (April 4) that quickly became the talk of social media thanks to a not-so-subtle diss aimed at Kendrick Lamar. But the buzz helped propel the album to the top. According to HITS Daily Double, the 12-track set is expected to debut at No. 1 on next week’s Billboard 200 chart, with roughly 140,000-160,000 total album equivalent units moved in its first week.

The album’s final single, “7 Minute Drill,” finds the Dreamville Records boss firing back at Kendrick Lamar, who dissed J. Cole and Drake on the recent Future and Metro Boomin’ track “Like That.” As part of his verse, J. Cole commends Lamar on his debut album, 2011’s Section.80, and 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly but trashes his latest effort, 2022’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

He also suggests good kid, m.A.A.d city didn’t deserves the accolades it received upon its release. He raps, “Your first sh## was classic/Your last sh## was tragic/Your 2nd s### put n###s to sleep but they gassed it/Your 3rd s### was massive hit that was your prime/I was trailing right behind, but I just now hit mine.”

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J. Cole’s previous project, The Off-Season, arrived in 2021. Executive produced by Cole, Ibrahim Hamad and T-Minus, the project featured guest vocals from Morray, 21 Savage, Lil Baby, Bas and 6LACK. It sold more than 282,000 units in its opening week, leading to another No. 1 debut. His previous effort, 2018’s KOD, was also another No. 1 debut, with more than 497,000 units sold upon opening.