Joey Badass appears to take aim at J. Cole on his new song, “Sorry Not Sorry.”
On the track’s first verse, the Pro Era member raps, “Might deletе later, I know damn sure that Joey won't / Fuck it, I want all thе smoke (Yeah), put my credit on the line / 'Cause n***as can't fuck with me, we talkin' 'bout it line for line.”
Badass references Cole's April 2024 mixtape, Might Delete Later, which included his Kendrick Lamar diss track, “7 Minute Drill.” But Cole quickly retracted the diss and apologized to Dot, as a means to stay out of his and Drake’s ongoing feud. A few days later, Cole removed the song from streaming.
Hip-hop’s response to Cole’s apology was divisive, with some applauding him for putting his mental health first and others—perhaps like Badass—expressing their disappointment in his handling of the situation, particularly saying that his reputation was now tarnished.
“Sorry Not Sorry” follows Joey’s 2024 single “Tell Me” featuring Chlöe. Badass’ last album was 2022’s 2000, which boasted features and contributions from Westside Gunn, Larry June, Chris Brown, JID, Statik Selektah, and Chuck Strangers.