...okay, maybe I do. J Cole “Port Antonio” analysis 

Loved this breakdown Professor 🔥

Another reason why I personally didn’t take to this record is I could sense some passive aggressive energy from Cole. We heard his apology in April, we heard his legitimate reasons for backing out so that should have been the end of his commentary on the subject in my opinion.

It's all happening 🏆

His ego won't let him rest. He wants to portray himself as above it, but there's a part of him that wants to be seen as a threat. Masculinity is a double-edged sword 😂 AVAA

J. Cole started the fire then got the hell out of crime scene.

Jcole saying he’s the best, makes dreamville a triple entendre

Great take. There are a hundred incredible rappers that make captivating art without making hip hop a competitive sport. Their subject matter is often varied and nuanced, and is rarely about their own greatness. J Cole, on the other hand, has spent countless verses over the years talking about how no one can outrap him.

I appreciate the nuanced analysis and reading the Professor is doing of the song, but if I'm looking only at the song Cole actually delivered, I think I agree with Melon. I don't understand why he can't just be satisfied with the public opinion being that he was smart to pull out - as if Kendrick hadn't told him to do that.

He wants to act like he's Kendrick without hating Drake, and that's just not believable anymore.

J Cole is the greatest shadow boxer of all time

11:33 thank you! I’m tired of Jcole fans gas lighting me😭😭 acting like Cole ain’t been saying he’s the best and asking for smoke

Thank you for sharing such personal stories profesor. My father never allowed me to play war videogames or have any toy guns. And I've never held a weapon in my hands and I hope I never have to. I hope maybe we can live in a world where we don't need guns, but I think that is not possible.

I love your perspective.. I honestly feel a little gas lit. He started it on first person shooter, even made 7 minute drill. He's taken so long to respond which means he's had so much time to think of the best narrative.

J Cole has weazel minion energy here. He backed out of the fight and cowerd in the corner while the two bosses fought. once it was over and he realised he didnt have the level of character needed to align with the winner. Decided to sneak diss Kdot and align himself and appease the drizzler. Bad move, bad character and fake deep.

I don’t think the comparison between J. Cole and Muhammad Ali is fair, J. Cole started a fight and didn’t finish it, Mohammad Ali didn’t start the Vietnam war and it has nothing to do with being a boxer so the comparison is very frail

Jermaine Cole the king of gaslighting

In Cole’s 2nd verse “ Tappin' back into your magic pen is what's imperative Remindin' these folks why we do it, it's not for beefin' It's for speakin' our thoughts, pushin' ourselves, reachin' the charts Reaching your minds, deep in your heart, screamin' to find Emotions to touch, somethin' inside to open you up”, that flow sounds like 6:16 “Definition of peace Tell me who gon' stop me? I come from love Estelle cover my heart, then open me up Remember when picked up a pen, lyrics that I can trust”.

I really did respect J.Cole for making seemingly making a misstep and bowing out gracefully. But to come back months later and try to pretend like you’re above it after dropping 7MD is crazy. I’m officially retiring from the J.Cole defense force😂

Cole on a gaslight tour trying to make us forget he shot first with 7MD

Basically, J Cole is playing in everybody face.

That Ali reference SMOKED this whole analysis

Nerd fact: the original phrase was "You want to eat the cake and have it, too." And this is why the song is so frustrating.

Hold me back type energy

Cole’s inability to read the room is why this song isn’t really resonating with people. First of all the audience as a whole seems to have beef “fatigue.” So unless you have something truly profound to say about the issue I don’t think anyone wants to hear from the guy who backed out of the beef 6 months ago. You need to know when to let sleeping dogs lie.

Ironically enough too. Cole said once in song “ she said you want to have you cake and eat it too? I said it’s cake that’s what’s your suppose to do.”

Professor Skye's Patreon list presentation: Top Tier !

That Ali thing...like, Muhammad Ali was the best because he proved through fighting and wining against other fighters until he stopped fighting. J Cole threw a punch and decided to back off from the fight when it was time to prove he was, indeed, like Ali.

AVVA- To have your cake and it is too used to confused me for EONS. Apparently, if you eat the cake, you can't have it tomorrow or later.

17:57 “Not the face” 😂😂😂😂

AVAA... And the stream last night with the 6 of you? Chef's kiss. Y'all was cookin'.That needs to be a monthly joint. Peace from Detroit! What up doe, Prof. Skye!

i love what you do and I really hope that butter boy sponsors your next video 🤲🏽

I don't even like J Cole like that, but I think this puts a finer point in 12:31... It's not just that Ali refused to fight, it's that he refused to be summoned (drafted) to fight what he thought was someone else's immoral war.

I am on the more positive side of this conversation on this topic, admittedly I'm a long-time Cole fan but I appreciate your take on this track. You're point about the "can't knock it if it's bout the dough" is a fantastic point.

Cole didn't WANT to apologize.he really had no choice.

The Ali analogy doesn’t work here, IMO. On FSP, on both his tone and the content of the song and the visuals, he was not on any pacifist, principled energy. He met and matched Drake’s antagonistic energy, spoiling for a rap beef or battle. Cole was as hyped as Drake on the song and in the video, he didn’t act like a conscientious objector then, IMO.

He said it himself in that song, he wants to shine too, he wants the coins too.

Cowards camouflage their fear of loosing as morality and pacifism

Now that I've had some time to listen a few times, I'm convinced that when he talks about "they instigate the fuckery because it's profitable" "they wanted blood, they wanted clicks to make they pockets grow," the "they" is the greater hip hop commentariat, the influencers and the Akademiks and the fans. In his apology he talked about the pressure to respond and it lines up. I think he's saying that we're the problem, and I've heard that implication from someone else recently. But that's not how the vast majority of people are taking it, so even if that was his intent, he failed to get his message across. And I can see why. If that's what he's doing, if he's really down to watch the party die when it comes to hip hop influencers and culture, he's really mixing themes all throughout that second verse. If that was what he meant I really wish he'd come in cleaner on that point. At least then the not choosing sides angle would actually make sense. "Drake is my bro and I'm thankful to him on a personal level but Kendrick has a point about the state of the industry so I don't know man" would be a message I can respect. Not as decisive as "f* all y'all I'm still the greatest because I said so" but a lot more insightful and relatable.

Inspectah Deck got some of Wu Tangs most iconic verses

This was a great watch, I agree with your sentiments. Cole is a brilliant wordsman but he’s trying to reshape the narrative around his role in the rap battle. He’s probably feeling guilty for dropping 7-minute drill and putting pressure on Drake to drop Pushups and thus creating Drake’s demise. But what I find crazy is, Drake’s media mouthpieces are still crapping on J. Cole, DJ AkSupid and Mal-nourished are still clowning him.

J Cole is just the typical person who's ego is battling his soul..it happens..he's human

AVAA! personally, as someone who was a fan when i was younger, i just can't take cole seriously at all. his art & persona as an artist (i dont know him as a person obv) just rings hollow at this point. he rides on the aesthetic of a holier-than-thou "deep rapper" but none of the music actually matches up to that image, and his ability to rap comes down to having a nice voice and forcing everything he says through a rhyming dictionary in the most inelegant way possible. im sorry but "above the door/about the dough" isnt a good double and it literally makes no sense, a do-not-disturb sign goes on the door not above it jermaine thats not to mention him building his entire career around being a woke king and then putting blatant transphobia on his last record for literally no reason. that shouldnt just be a corny moment, its a red flag that he's not actually as conscious and thoughtful as he portrays himself

JCole is double minded and unstable in all his ways.

Wishy Washy Cole. I’ve had enough.

Professor, I'm so invested in these childhood stories! You should write a memoir

18:13 Prof Skye doesn’t even realise he relates to Cole more than he thinks, Cole was a bench player in HS

[DELETED] I think had the best take on Jermaine Cole. If yall ain't seen it yet look it up.🎉

Oh my fucking gosh Prof. I’ve literally said the words so many times. I didn’t make the volleyball team so they made me manager and I had to keep score, wash uniforms, and carry equipment. 😮that’s my story.

Hip hop is both things. It's competitive and gives a voice to the voiceless. You want to rap then just rap. Don't make claims and then deny wanting to spar to prove it.

"A gun aint what I'm tryna be." Poor Cole been going THRU it I'm telling y'all😂

Love this perspective ✊🏾

You cant be the best without conflict because this dynamic doesn't exist in the world. We had to fight just to be here. Kendrick philosophy on this train of thought is more realistic. Competition inspires Creativity, Innovation, Evolution. Hes trying to change the Rites of Passage in Hip Hop and Kendrick is trying to enforce these rites that have been pushed to the side every since the Gate Keepers went from the participants in the culture, to the record execs.

Love this breakdown. You and lilbilliam (when he talked on his livestream about it) have similar takes and I agree. This basically functions as Cole intentionally or unintentionally disagreeing with Kendrick's thesis on Drake and those similar figures that in a lot of the eyes of the culture are toxic. Kendrick said he was going to try and get himself and the culture to weed those figures out, so now him and Cole are diametrically opposed regarding this (probably making him "on Drake's side" in most people's eyes). Now I'm really just imagining what Kendrick thinks about this, because if the First Person Shooter lines made him willing enough to do Like That I can't imagine he is passive about this track lol.

To all the people in the comments who keep mentioning that Cole released then took down 7MD and said "my chin is out do what you will" as some sort of mea culpa, then noting they didnt take him up on his offer. Do you not realize that that's how gaslighting works!? Put it this way, Cole doing what he did is like throwing punches, then putting on glasses and saying "you wouldn't hit a guy with glasses would you" If Kendrick swung after that you same people would say Dot was wrong for hitting a defenseless man with glasses. Cole wants to have it both ways but some of us can see thru the bs even without glasses 👓

Cole exited the stage of the beef in April, which is totally fine and understandable. HOWEVER, why is he still talking about it 6 months later? Feels off and totally unnecessary. When you take your final bow you don’t linger on the stage. This is what this song felt like; the guy who doesn’t know when to pack it up and go home.

Lets be honest, the way both Kendrick and Drake acted, it's clear both see him as number 3.

AVAA 🫶 I agree with you 100% on your observations on this. I think J. Cole played a much bigger role in the inception of the battle than he acknowledges here, I think he's mostly saying "you still got this Drake, just keep doing it" compared to not picking sides like he says he's doing, and I think lyrically he was in top form here. 7 Minute Drill did happen, even though it was deleted, and he still says he's that guy regardless of the battle. Not a fan of the coulda/woulda/shoulda in a situation where a battle happened and he did do something, it throws me off. Regarding the FOS "you can't have your cake and eat it (too)" I don't know how legitimate this is but they say the early traces of it actually had it as "you can't eat your cake and have it (too)" which makes more sense to me compared to what it is now, though it still works the way it is since it's about simultaneously eating your cake and having it still be there, which is the best of both worlds. If you do end up reading all of this, I appreciate the work you do and I pray it continues to grow for however long you desire it to 🙏

This example had me in tears

AVAA. Kumbaya vibe surprises me. Draymond Green kicked Lebron in the nuts during the playoffs, imagine if some players decided not to play game 5 because things went a step too far in their humble opinion. Crazy! Even Lebron and steph went as far calling each other b*** at peak moments, and yet here they are. Respectable people and inspirational. They invested a lifetime in their careers, knowing very well when deciding moments come in big areans somethings will be out of their control. Nonetheless we show up and run the clock. EVERY TOP COMPETITOR UNDERSTAND THAT When a deciding moment comes up you act and seize the moment. If not the better man takes it and you give a nod of respect to those engaged. And move Instead he wants to replace a spectacle of giants/gladiators with his feelings?? Imagine masses of people with their drinks and popcorn going to an arena to watch THE MOST COMPETITIVE AND CHAMPIONED people fight, just to have the show replaced with a two hour speech of brotherly love.

Lets look at the timeline: FPS comes out, Cole mentions Dot as part of the big 3, Drake says its just him and Cole etc. Like That happens - Dot tuants them both but its a light jab 7MD - Cole fires the gun and releases the first diss against Dot, then applogizes. At this point, neither Drake nor Kendrick knew where the beef was going to go bcos Push Ups hadnt been released and Euphoria was a response to Push Ups. So basically, JCole apologized before he knew what was gonna happen. Which supports the theory that he chickened out when he saw that his diss track wasnt well received, but lets even give him the benefit of the doubt that he apologized to save his friendship with Dot, why is he now claiming that he knew how everything was going to go when the two guys involved didnt even know how it was going to go as at the time he apologized? Maybe Drake doesnt mention Withney and Dot doesnt them feel justified to respond with MTG and NLU? Mayne the beef has a totally different outcome if other decisions were taken along the way. All this I knew all along, I woulda, coulda is boring from Cole. If gaslighting was a person, it qould be Jermaine Cole. Dude fired a shot and it was a weak shot, now he talking about his gun being deadly(his friend said it, but yeah)? Dude, you had the opportunity to show it but you bailed, now all you do is explaining when you could have shown. I apprecite J Cole for choosing peave but sneak dissing Kendrick on this new track and sucking up to Drake to get back into his good graces is nasty work from Cole. If you're really above it all, then stay out of it. If you're going back to sneak dissing Dot after applogizing to him, then you should have stood on 7MD. Dont be a flip flopper fence sitter who never stands for anything. With friends like Cole, who needs enemies?

I’m an artist with many conflicting opinions in regards to how or why I create and where I see myself in the future. I admit I very much lean on how Cole’s responded to the beef because of the contradictions and conflicting stances. For me there is nothing more relatable than an artist who is unsure of themselves or what the right thing to do is, but they create anyway. It’s a search to discover one’s self. You don’t play the gallery to figure out who that is because there’s something only you understand about yourself so you do it yourself. And you might be very competitive and that same thing you only understand about yourself, you know it’s why you’re the best. Every artist is different in some way because no one creates the same way, so everyone has a niche which from their eyes is a perspective which they can undeniably be the best in if they’re conscious enough to know they aren’t there yet, but “hungry” enough to still write knowing who you can be. And that’s why I really love the path Cole took here because I think he writes to be the person he wants to be, with all the imperfections of who he is now. And I think this song is almost a perfect response to Kendrick who views rap through a very historical and idealistic lens that makes him very conscious and extremely critical of those like Drake. I think Kendrick is extreme(not a bad thing mind you), I don’t care about Drake, and Cole is just relatable.

26:00 "I got my chin out" - Jermain. Cole did not expect his pacifism to excuse him from the repurcussions of releasing 7 minute drill. P.S. A more accurate allegory would be Young Skye saying he can beat Fabba in a street fight only to find out Fabba is bringing face-melting acid to the Rezi.

That Simpsons episode was a refrence to Lord of the Flies not Rings😅 Great take Professor as always.

Cole gaslighting!! I appreciate your take on this track

20:57 There's a good argument to be made for rap not being about the money coming out of the conscious roots of rap. Much of the best rap of past eras had the underlying theme of 'money can't by liberation', i.e. the hood will still exist the way it does even if a few people from there get wealthy. This is relevant cause j. Cole is one of the rappers claiming he wants his music to make a change, a positive impact. That change won't happen if the main priority of the culture is personal enrichment, no matter how kind your words are.

this is my current favorite video of yours so far.

Le beurre, l'argent du beurre et le cul de la crémière, AVAA

He's trying to do a reset on the narrative around him. That's it. He wants to be like, "Hey, here's how I handled this and why. Here's where I stand with those involved. Let's move on." Whether the song accomplishes that is another story.

On God, you are Hawkeye you are one of my favorites and you broke this down. Splendidly! I love it.

Everytime you tell me to watch someone else's take I do and then appreciate your even more when I come back AVAA

AVAA. I understand that these beef-related videos get the most views, but I think it's because your takes on this topic are just super interesting and nuanced, coming from your well-versed background in French studies. You truly look at Hip-Hop as an art, and not even a single slimy word gets past your eyes in these breakdowns. Every line counts, especially in an art form such as this. I like some of Cole's music, what the hell does he know about beefs?

Omg!!! I literally thought this same EXACT scenario 😂😂😮 Perfectly explained for the slow ones!! lol

26:50 "lord of the rings" lmao

Andre 3000 is Top 5, and didn’t battle, but he also didn’t bait. Cole has made different choices.

The Ali point about how he lost is title is so 🔑 here 👏🏽

Damn I love Cole but that Simpsons reference came back to haunt him 😂

My only question is what role does true friendship / brotherhood play in all of this ? I think it’s really important to determine that before you dissect Cole’s story

J.Cole is just gaslighting hip-hop fans and trying to win a battle he back out on. As Bishop said in Juice,"nigga you scared". Battle rap is part of hiphop. He can't change the fundamentals to suit his scared backside. You want to be the best you challenge the best. The fans decide.

Half a year later.... Jermaine hops on this track and plays victim, while simultaneously being passive aggressive, and pious. I'm the best, I'll prove it, but not in competition. 🙃

Love your takes, gonna keep coming back

AVAA..cool Office reference at the end. 🎉

I will buy J Folds whole discography if I make this shot. Proceeds to YEET the ball in the opposite direction. 😊 that was a close one.

all my homies love Professor Skye

Love your breakdowns!

“You’re not stopping me,” is in reference to all the people saying he’s no longer top 3, and/or important in hip hop.

Rap is about self-promotion and claiming you're the best, but that doesn’t mean it’s a shot at anyone. Almost all rappers have a line saying they are the best and no one considers them disses. In J. Cole’s line, "We the big 3 like we started the league but right now I feel like Muhammad Ali," he’s not dissing anyone. In fact, he didn’t even have to mention Kendrick, who wasn’t on the track, but he did because he respects him. The idea that this was a diss only came up after "Like That," when people began justifying Kendrick’s shots at J. Cole. Also, who said "mano to mano" refers to battle rap? Being one of the best isn’t about winning beefs. Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Drake have all lost public beefs, but they’re still considered among the greatest. J. Cole has been against beef since 2014FHD, so it’s wild to suggest he suddenly wants to battle rap. He could just be talking about going bar for bar or sharing tracks. Lastly, I disagree with the claim about instigating. You can’t defend Kendrick, who’s been instigating with Drake since "Control" and more recently with "Like That," while accusing Cole of the same. It’s hypocritical to call out one and ignore the other.

Semantics but at 27:00 you meant Lord of the Flies right? Besides that, immaculate video. I just wanted clarity so I don't misinterpret anything.

Cool that you're from mass. Belmont right next to Cambridge 👍🏾 And that ep of simpsons sound like a Lord of the Flies gag

AVAA Interesting thing about the Lonnie Smith sample used by Jay-Z is that the hook of that track samples Nas' "The World is Yours", which makes it a collaboration with Jay and Nas prior to their beef. Interesting parallels to that of Cole and his relationship to Kendrick and Drake post beef.

you summed this up well, side note cole has said that its cake that what your suppose to do... so maybe he lives with these contradictions... And some of Cole's points do fall short but I do hope his next two albums are going to as good as he says cause the fall off is something he has been promoting for at least 8 to 9 years now and with all the bars he has been dropping everything feels off

What’s being lost is that J Cole is saying he is willing to battle… This was NOT ever about skill, but two rappers that genuinely hated each other & was never going to be about bars so he exited

this is the analysis i needed! AVAA

JCole must not know that Hip Hop is a sport. 💅

i think you wrong on the Ali metaphor im pretty sure the punch not given was Kendrick not returning fire for 7MD and not talking about Cole after he bowed out

*misses shot* Prof: phew

waiting on the elucid vid, also i would love a follow-up review to cult favorite's debut "for madmen only" which was a duo composed of elucid and the amazing producer an breakups, it's so good.

I'm surprised that people are thinking he is saying this isn't a competitive art form. All he said was that he didn't want to attack someone he calls a friend. Everyone else trying to make it bigger. If we can call Michael Jackson the king of Pop... Did it need Beef for him to earn that? Or was that based on his sales and musical output. We can measure skill with more than personal digs, security guards getting shot, etc... If you can't... Look internally.

Right on point with this breakdown..

Love the take coach!

real excited to see you dig in that new elucid album its fantastic