Screenshot from Lil Yachty and J. Cole’s “The Secret Recipe” video
Lil Yachty And J. Cole Unite For "The Secret Recipe" Video
After years of public tension and dismissive tweets, J. Cole and Lil Yachty united to release their new single, “The Secret Recipe.” Released today (Sept. 29), the song arrived alongside an accompanying visual and production handled by Rawbone and the Atlanta native himself.
In the opening verse, Lil Boat rapped, “The baddest h**s gon’ test the E, then blame the high for wantin’ sex. I never wanted peace, f**k all the opps, I support Malcolm X. The stack of chains is just a front. Overtaxed and underwhelming, your jeweler pulled a major stunt. I don’t smoke weed, already blunt, all of my cars, I had to hunt.”
Meanwhile, Cole picked up the latter of the song. He spat, “I probably put more n**gas on pause than Cam and Mason Betha. My agent get a whole lotta calls; it’s like he paid the ref. These b**ches out here lookin’ like Steph on the late contest. Wide open, shootin’ they shot, don’t even waste your breath.”
Watch the video below.
Fans also speculated that the North Carolina artist responded to YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s reported “F**k the Industry Pt. 2” diss. He hit back with lyrics like, “N**gas makin’ threats and I laugh, that’s ’cause you ain’t a threat. Don’t ask how I feel ’bout no rappers, s**t, they okay, I guess. Incomin’ call, press the button, the one that say accept. He FaceTime to ask for a feature and saw the face of death.”
The alleged clapback from Cole arrived on the heels of his collaboration with Lil Durk — who NBA YoungBoy was recently embroiled in a feud with — on “All My Life.” In 2021, Akademiks claimed that the hip hop mainstay waited eight hours in the studio for the Baton Rogue native, but the 23-year-old never showed up.
Moreover, Yachty wasn’t shy about expressing his distaste for the “No Role Modelz” hitmaker during his teenage years. In a series of tweets in 2011, he wrote, “I just don’t like J. Cole… Never said he wasn’t good” and even went as far as to say, “F**KJCOLE.”
i just dont like j.cole…. never said he wasnt good.
— CONCRETE BOY BOAT^ (@lilyachty) October 2, 2011
@KeepIt232 FUCKJCOLE.
— CONCRETE BOY BOAT^ (@lilyachty) December 20, 2011
Years later, in a 2016 interview, Yachty tried to clarify his past sentiments. “I was young, and I was just talking shit, trolling,” he admitted. “I f**k with J. Cole as a person. I don’t listen to J. Cole. But I have nothing against J. Cole. I was young, and I was just talking s**t, trolling. I never thought I was gonna be a rapper.”
The Born Sinner artist seemed to fire back later that year with his song “Everybody Dies.” He mentioned “amateur eight-week rappers” and “Lil’ whatever,” which many interpreted as a nod toward Yachty and Lil Uzi Vert. Luckily, the former’s response was refreshingly calm: “Honestly, I don’t give a f**k. I f**k with J. Cole, bro!”
Fast forward to now, and the artists have buried the hatchet. “The Secret Recipe” served as the first-ever collaborative work between the pair.
It followed Yachty’s psychedelic rock-influenced album, Let’s Start Here, released earlier this year. For Cole, the single came after a slew of guest appearances that include Bas’ “Passport Bros” and Burna Boy’s “Thanks.”