J. Cole is revisiting one of his early lyrics with a different perspective and a clear sense of regret.
During an appearance on 7 PM in Brooklyn, the rapper opened up about a line from his 2011 track "Rise and Shine," where he referenced Shane Battier in a dismissive comparison: "We in two different games, you playing patty cake / Brother you're lame, you're Shane Battier."
Looking back, Cole didn't mince words about how he feels now.
"That line's a zero," he said, explaining that with time, the bar has come to represent a moment he views as unnecessary and immature.
Cole revealed that he eventually met Battier in person, creating an opportunity to address the lyric directly. Cole asked to speak with him privately.
"The first thing I would say to him is apologize for how dumb that was, and how childish and immature it was to even do that," said Cole. "I had to double apologize and let him know, 'I fuck with you, and I respect you so much. And even more than that, bro, now that I got kids, bro, I respect your parents."
Battier, a former NBA champion known for his professionalism and team-first approach, handled the situation with grace according to the rapper. Cole described him as "cool and gracious," noting that he brushed off the lyric and treated it as humor.
Still, the moment weighed on Cole, especially as the line gained popularity among fans over the years.
"As the years went past… people loved that line," he said. "And when I started hearing it, I would cringe… like, why did you do that?"
Cole also acknowledged the broader impact of putting a real person's name in a song that would live on indefinitely.
"You done put his name in a song that's gonna live forever, and you disrespected his name," he said. "That was dumb… childish and immature."
He went on to praise Battier's character, even pointing to his upbringing and reputation as qualities he admires. "We need more Shane Battiers in the world," Cole added.
