Drake is giving J. Cole his flowers.
The Certified Lover Boy made a surprise appearance during opening night on J. Cole’s “The Off-Season Tour” at Miami’s FTX Arena on Friday night (Sept. 24).
In addition to performing his chart-topping hit “Way 2 Sexy” with Future, Drake paid homage to Cole. “I don’t know how the f**k you pulled it off, but thank you for being the first person to bring us back to arenas so we could do some shows for these people,” he told his “In the Morning” collaborator.
Earlier in the week, Cole dropped “Heaven’s EP.” On his freestyle to Drake’s “Pipe Down,” he raps, “Some people say that I’m running third / They threw the bronze at me / Behind Drake and Dot / Yeah, them ni**as is superstars to me.”
Drake addressed the lyrics, telling Cole that he is one of the greatest to ever do it. “I gotta say this just ’cause, I don’t always wanna have like a heartfelt moment when we’re on stage together,” he said. “I just want you to understand something—you are genuinely, without a doubt, one of the greatest rappers to ever touch the mic. It’s way too many people in the world that think and know that J. Cole is at top on the pole position.”
Fans cheered as the two embraced during the heartfelt moment. “I love you with all my heart. You’re my brother, one of my favorite artists, and I’ll always appreciate you having me out here,” added Drake.
21 Savage, who opened for Cole, also hit the stage with Drake to perform their Certified Lover Boy collaboration “Knife Talk” for the first time.