I was surprised reading Twitter yesterday during the Bearsgame and seeing that Canibus released “J. Clone”, a diss record aimed at one of Hip Hop’s most promising talents. It was surprising to me because I’d never known J. Cole to diss Canibus, and prior to the release of Cole World, J was regarded heavily as one of the few new cats that sought the lyricism and Hip Hop cultural roots that Canibus hailed from as well. I hit play on “J. Clone”, and more or less it was what I expected. The song is a somewhat tired diss, a combination of past performances, and maybe a couple witty lines from Canibus who has made a career out of calling out other artists for various reasons.

What’s the reason for this diss of J. Cole? Well, you see, J. Cole has dropped Canibus’ name in several interviews. Cole cites Canibus as one of his favorite rappers, specifically drawing back to Canibus’ earliest works. The problem in Canibus’ eyes is that those works were 12 albums ago, and nobody talks about his new s**t. Where ever he goes people want him to drop “Second Round K.O” and his verse on the “4, 3, 2, 1” record. While Wyclef took the blame for f**king up his career the first time, at this point, there is no one to point a finger at, and Canibus is now dissing those artists that aren’t paying him the proper respect (in his eyes).

“Currently, new artists such as J. Cole have continuously mentioned me as their favorite artist, shouted me out in articles, magazine/online interviews, and even gone as far as starting off show sets by playing some of my earlier material to warm up the audience and give off the impression that he is real hip hop and loves real lyricism,” Canibus writes. “Cole might say he does this to pay homage, but in reality, by him playing my older material owned by my former label dating back to 1998, subsequently overlooking my current works and contributions which directly benefit me now, he is treating me less like an artist that has, and continues to contribute, influence, and inspire an even younger generation of MC’s coming up, and more like an artist that has physically passed on already (i.e. Tupac, B.I.G., Big L, Heavy D, Eyeda): you get the point I’m trying to make.”

I certainly do see your point. When artists cite your old works as some of their influences, the attention goes back to records that are almost 15 years old. Cats think that’s all you have, and it’s doing nothing to spark sales/booking/feature requests surrounding your new material. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but one that is swallowed time and time again by artists around the globe that still make loot off one hit they had in 1997. It is kind of a raw deal. I see that. And I give Canibus credit for bringing something up that hasn’t been brought up that much. But it’s not J. Cole’s fault, and what will dissing him do beyond getting him to not mention your name anymore, and influence other artists to also leave your name out of their music and interviews? I can’t fault Canibus for feeling the way he does. But if you’re gonna make a song about it, do a better job. Maybe that record could take the place of that hit you had about LL Cool J.