J. Cole has claimed that “First Person Shooter” may have originally been planned as a song for Drake and Kendrick Lamar.
Speaking on the 7PM In Brooklyn podcast, Cole said he believes Drake first wanted the track to be a collaboration with Kendrick. According to him, that was before the beat was sent his way.
Cole said his understanding was that things may not have been moving fast enough, which could have led Drake to reach out to him instead. He also suggested producer Boi-1da may have encouraged Drake to contact him for the song.
Even so, Cole made it clear that by the time he got involved, he only saw it as a Drake and J. Cole track. He said the beat had nothing on it when he received it, and there was no direct plan in front of him for all three rappers to appear together.
Cole also admitted he felt pressure while writing his verse. He said he wanted to deliver for Drake, especially after Drake had shown support by appearing at Dreamville Fest the year before.
The song later became a major talking point in hip-hop. Many fans believe Cole’s “big three” line helped set the stage for Kendrick Lamar’s later response on “Like That,” where he rejected that label and said it was “just big me.”
Cole’s comments are likely to add even more debate to the long-running Drake and Kendrick story. For fans, it is another reminder of how different hip-hop history might have looked if that original version had ever happened.
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