A new war is brewing in rap circles. Namely, Cam'ron, one of the key figures of the New York hip-hop scene, a veteran rap artist and co-founder of the collective The Diplomats, has filed a lawsuit against his younger colleague J. Cole, and, as he himself admits, he did so primarily to "get his attention." The dispute is related to the song "Ready '24" that they recorded together, but it seems that there is much more behind it than mere copyright disputes.
Appearing on the show “Talk With Flee,” Cam'ron openly explained that going to court was never his first choice, but rather a means to get answers that, he claims, have been lacking for a long time:
"I never wanted to make a big deal out of a lawsuit. This just happened, you know, and I don't really care anymore; this was just to get his attention. It's not that I shouldn't be compensated for what I do or that you shouldn't honor what you said you were going to do. To me, being a man means keeping your word, and I know everyone has a lot of work and commitments. But if I give you my word four or five times, I expect you to keep it at least once," the rapper explained.
Cam'ron explained that when J. Cole asked for his help with the project “The Off-Season”, he reacted immediately and did everything without hesitation.
“For ‘The Off-Season,’ I recorded the intro for him. He needed it within 24 hours. Luckily, I was in my home studio… I called my engineer, we did it and handed it to him right away. Great,” Cam’ron recalls. He also agreed that he might need a verse when he finished his project, and Cole simply replied, “Great.”
However, Cam'ron feels that professional courtesy has not been reciprocated. The problem arose when Cole appeared on Cam'ron's show, which was supposed to be a promotion for their collaboration on the song "Ready '24".
Cam'ron tried to keep things simple and offered Cole the interview without mentioning the tensions between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. However, Cole refused:
"No, I can't do an interview and not talk about it."
They agreed on February as the date to film the interview, but even then Cole wasn't ready. When Cam'ron called to confirm the date, Cole responded curtly:
"I'm still working, man."
The rapper emphasizes that the lawsuit is essentially a means for J. Cole to fulfill his promise and ultimately get what he asked for - attention and respect for the agreement. It remains to be seen whether this move will develop into a more serious conflict or whether everything will be resolved through legal means.
Bonus video:
