Kevin Durant Throws Shade At “Fake Tough Guys” In Defense Of J. Cole

Kevin Durant created a stir on social media after the basketball star lauded J. Cole’s rap skills while throwing shade at fans of “fake tough guys” in Hip-Hop.

On Sunday (Feb. 23), Durant took to X to share his reaction to Cole’s new song, “cLOUDS,” which was released Friday (Feb. 21).

Praising Cole for his “mastery” of lyricism, the Phoenix Suns forward dismissed fans’ critiques of the Dreamville artist’s seeming lack of aggression towards his rap peers.

“I don’t care bout none of that fake tough guy sh*t,” KD wrote on the platform. Some X users viewed the statement as a jab at Kendrick Lamar, as J. Cole was ridiculed for apologizing after dissing his former collaborator last year.

This prompted music fans to deem Durant’s declaration about “fake tough guys” as being hypocritical. KD’s expressed his fandom of Drake’s music, whom they argued often attempts to inflate his street credibility.

“He kind of does the same thing too,” one X user wrote in response to the DMV native, adding that they “love” Drake’s music.

Referring to Drake as “THE GOAT,” Durant challenged fans’ assertions of Drake being a “fake tough guy.” He countered that the Canadian is often rhyming about defending himself rather than initiating trouble.

“Rappin’ about protecting everything you’ve earned is not fake tough guy sh*t” the 36-year-old wrote in response, directing his ire towards music fans that have attributed Cole distancing himself from rap beef as a sign of weakness.

“I’m throwing shade at fans like you,” the former NBA MVP clarified, urging that group to focus on the art instead of the factors surrounding it. “Been hatin on Cole this whole time. Just listen to the music and sh*t.” He continued, adding that he’s “dissing all yall fans who can’t listen to Jcole without saying hes ‘soft.’” 

Durant’s comments come in the wake of J. Cole’s decision to bow out of a potential rhyme war with Kendrick Lamar, who dissed Cole and Drake on Metro Boomin and Future’s chart-topping single, “Like That.”

In response, Cole released his Might Delete Later project, which originally included a song called “7-Minute Drill.” On the song, he took shots aimed at Kendrick while warning of the repercussions of engaging him in a rap battle.

However, J. Cole would later publicly apologize for dissing Kendrick and have the track removed from streaming services, prompting the hitmaker to receive backlash from music fans and his rap peers alike.

While Durant seemingly denied he was throwing shade at Kendrick himself, his previous comments regarding Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance left some social media users skeptical regarding that claim.

See Kevin Durant’s X posts below.