The Scrapped Masterpiece: J. Cole Reveals Kendrick Lamar...
The Scrapped Masterpiece: J. Cole Reveals Kendrick Lamar Was Originally on Two Songs for ‘The Fall Off’
NEW YORK — The "what if" of the decade has finally been answered. In a blockbuster interview released Wednesday on Cam’ron’s Talk With Flee podcast, J. Cole confirmed the long-standing rumor that Kendrick Lamar was originally featured on his magnum opus, The Fall Off.
According to the Dreamville founder, Lamar had recorded verses for two separate tracks on an earlier version of the album. However, the collaborations were ultimately pulled after an unauthorized leak forced Cole to pivot his creative direction.
The Leak That Changed History
During the sit-down, which also addressed Cam’ron’s 2025 lawsuit against Cole over their song “Ready '24,” the Fayetteville rapper detailed the heartbreaking moment he realized his secret weapons had been compromised.
“I had The Fall Off finished. I probably had to tweak a couple of mixes,” Cole told Cam’ron. “At that time, I had been working on the album, and by the way, somebody leaked it. I know who leaked it—it’s cool he put it out there. But [Kendrick] was on two joints.”
The revelation adds a layer of tragic irony to the 2024 "Big Three" fallout. While fans were mourning the death of a potential Cole-Kendrick-Drake era, the music they craved had already been recorded and shelved.
A Double Album Born from Conflict
When The Fall Off finally arrived in February 2026, it was a sprawling, 24-track double album. Cole previously hinted on social media that his infamous 2024 apology to Kendrick at the Dreamville Festival was the catalyst for this expansion.
“Two years ago, after the events that still feed the algorithm to this day, I became incredibly re-inspired,” Cole wrote in a February Instagram post. “The album slowly blossomed into a double disc as the concept expanded.”
‘The Fall Off’ Final Guest List vs. Scrapped Features
| Track Status | Artist | Role / Outcome |
| Confirmed (Disc 2) | Future | Uncredited vocals on “Run a Train” |
| Confirmed (Disc 1) | Tems | Uncredited vocals on “Bunce Road Blues” |
| Confirmed (Disc 2) | Erykah Badu | Uncredited vocals on “The Villest” |
| Scrapped (Pre-Leak) | Kendrick Lamar | Two full verses (Removed) |
| Scrapped (Pre-Leak) | Drake | Two reported verses (Removed) |
“Disgusted” by the Rap Civil War
Beyond the scrapped features, Cole used the interview to vent his frustrations regarding the cultural divide caused by the Kendrick-Drake beef. He described the pressure on fans to "pick a side" like political parties as "disgusting."
“The world became like politics,” Cole explained. “You either Democrat or Republican, you either Kendrick or you Drake... I felt like the n***a that was disgusted both ways, damn near. It’s disgusting how people try to use that opportunity to pile on and tear [Drake] down as if he’s not great.”
Despite the tension, Cole maintained that he still "genuinely loves" both artists and has had brief conversations with both in the months following the 2024 battle.
The Legend of the “Lost” Tapes
The news of the deleted Kendrick verses has already sent the internet into a frenzy, with fans begging for the tracks to be released as part of a deluxe edition or a vault series. Cole, however, seems content with the version of The Fall Off that hit #1 on the Billboard 200 last month, calling it the "authentic image" of who he is today.
With J. Cole set to headline the 2026 Roots Picnic this May alongside The Roots and Jay-Z, the conversation around his "final" album is far from over. Whether those Kendrick Lamar verses ever see the light of day remains a mystery, but for now, they exist only in the "metaphysical way" Cole promised his fans.
