This was unfortunate timing for J Cole, who just received some supposed disses courtesy of Freddie Gibbs’ new song “The Big 2.”

J Cole is infamous in the rap game for his casual and humble fashion sense, something that even his clothing items directly reference. A fan recently snagged a picture with him, and other die-hards took note of the “I’m Retired (This is as dressed up as I get)” message on his hoodie. The North Carolina rapper is building hype for his long-awaited new album The Fall Off, so “retirement” seems odd even when it’s just an idea on a piece of streetwear. This isn’t the first time that he “teased” retirement, if you even want to call a style choice a full-on statement. Maybe fans just reacted in an overly paranoid manner here, but unfortunately, the timing of it also left little room for benefit of the doubt.

Furthermore, J. Cole recently caught some disses on the new song from Freddie Gibbs, suggestively titled “The Big 2.” Obviously, the title and some bars here and there seem to point to the perception of Cole’s exit from the “Big Three” conversation as a result of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle. The Big Boss Rabbit also took aim at JPEGMAFIA and Benny The Butcher on this track.

J Cole New Album

J. Cole seen wearing an ‘I’M RETIRED’ hoodie by Vetements pic.twitter.com/qb4F0W9wB5

— Kurrco (@Kurrco) March 13, 2025

Amid this and other presumed shots from fellow MCs, J. Cole is choosing to highlight his peers and focus on his craft above all. He recently shared the Wiz Khalifa version of his new song “cLOUDs” to his blog, which fans loved to hear considering that the cut samples an OG Wiz song from back in the day. Fans wonder whether or not this will change ahead of The Fall Off or if peace and love is the definitive way to go. Either way, impressive bar work is sure to follow.

Meanwhile, whether the Dreamville boss is retired or whether he’s pondering a response to Freddie Gibbs, many hip-hop fans out there think that J. Cole is in a great spot post-battle. The Fall Off will hopefully satisfy fans soon and he slowly but surely continues to reinvent and redirect himself after the beef. Cole’s style choices don’t matter much in the grand scheme of things, as he will always put the art first.