TDE superstar Kendrick Lamar recently issued the first apology for his vitriol-filled verse on Big Sean’s “Control” since the track caused waves in Summer 2013. If Meek, Cole, Drake and the rest of y’all are reading this, you can stop holding your breath. It was to Phil.
In an interview with Vibe, Kendrick says “I don’t want to be on Phil’s bad side, so he’s the only person I will apologize to” in reference to the line “Who the fuck you thought it supposed to be? Phil Jackson came back, still ain’t no coaching me”
But apparently Phil is a bigger Sean fan than expected. He tweeted at Kendrick “it’s okay to be cocky and sure, but we all need somebody to lean on. Let’s just call it mentoring”
In the time since K Dot wrote that line, the legendary former coach actually did come back, as president of the New York Knicks. While it’s not clear whether or not Kendrick is angling for New York’s starting point guard spot (watch your back, Pablo Prigioni), what’s most important is what Kendrick isn’t saying. He apologizes to Jackson, but makes a point of not doing the same for any of the rappers he mentioned in the verse alongside the man who has too many rings on to type properly. He doesn’t want to be on Phil Jackson’s bad side, but has no problem being on Big K.R.I.T. or Wale’s shitlist.
While the hip hop world did produce a few tracks in response, Kendrick is letting us know that he is not impressed. He raised the bar and no one has stepped up. +15 for sticking to your guns, and +5 for continuing to stir the flames.