AceShowbiz - J. Cole has opened up about the internal struggle he faced before publicly apologizing to Kendrick Lamar following his controversial diss track "7 Minute Drill."

In a candid interview with Apple Music, J. Cole discussed the moments leading up to his onstage apology at the 2024 Dreamville Festival. He admitted that the decision to apologize weighed heavily on him, causing significant stress. "I was stressing," he recalled, revealing that the choice to address the issue came just moments before going onstage.

After releasing the diss track, J. Cole began to question his motives and the impact of his words. "All of a sudden I'm giving life to division... on somebody that I f-k with and got love for," he said, emphasizing how the song conflicted with his true feelings and identity.

The decision to make the apology public was sudden. J. Cole shared that the idea came to him roughly an hour before his set. He explained, "I'm giving life to division and negative storylines on somebody that I f*ck with, and I got love for..."

The situation became more personal when he confided in his wife, Melissa Heholt. "I told my wife... 'This is what I'm about to go do,'" he said. Her emotional reaction reflected how deeply the matter affected him. "She starts crying because she knows how I feel about him," J. Cole added.

In the days before the apology, J. Cole described feeling torn and conflicted. "She saw how it was weighing on me," he said, highlighting the emotional burden he carried leading up to the festival.

After taking the stage and publicly apologizing, the rapper experienced a sense of relief. "I felt even better," he shared, suggesting the apology helped ease his conscience.

Following the incident, J. Cole removed the diss track from streaming services and has since emphasized his "genuine love" for Kendrick Lamar.