J. Cole Responds to Cam’ron Lawsuit Over Song, Podcast Appearance

J. Cole has filed his first response to Cam’ron’s lawsuit over the duo’s “Ready ’24” collab, denying that he ever promised to appear on the rapper’s podcast — and blasting Cam for going to court to “publicly disparage” him.

Cam’ron (Cameron Giles) sued Cole (Jermaine Cole) last fall, claiming he’d been denied full credit and compensation for the song, on which he contributed a featured verse. He says Cole also reneged on a promise to appear on one of Cam’ron’s singles or his podcast.

But in his first legal answer to the lawsuit filed on Tuesday (Feb. 10), Cole’s lawyers say no such promise was ever made — and that Cam’ron had, in fact, been happy to be featured in the song.

“Plaintiff encouraged and blessed defendants’ use of his performance, as it was to his career benefit,” Cole’s attorney, Christine Lepera, wrote in a court filing obtained and first reported by Billboard.

“It was only after the release of ‘Ready ‘24’ that he began to demand unreasonable conditions never agreed to by Cole, or an excessive fee inconsistent with industry standards for a featured performance,” Lepera writes, “followed by the filing of this lawsuit without notice to publicly disparage Cole as leverage.”

Attorneys for Cam’ron did not immediately return a request for comment.

“Ready ’24,” recorded in 2022 and appearing on Cole’s 2024 mixtape Might Delete Later, featured a verse written and performed by Cam’ron. The mixtape debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and ultimately spent eight weeks on the chart.

In his October lawsuit, Cam’ron claimed he only agreed to appear on the song based on specific terms, including final approval of the song before release; credit as both a co-writer and a performer; and Cole either contributing a verse on a future song or appearing on Cam’ron’s It Is What It Is podcast.

“Two years later, with Cole having refused to honor his agreement to collaborate with plaintiff on either a single or on the podcast, defendants nevertheless released the sound recording,” his lawyers wrote at the time.

But in his response on Tuesday, Cole’s attorneys say flatly that no such promise was ever made, either about a single or a podcast: “Plaintiff asked Cole to appear on his podcast, and he and Cole discussed the possibility of Cole appearing on Plaintiff’s podcast, but no commitment was ever made by Cole to do so nor was there any agreement or condition related to ‘Ready ‘24’ to do so.”

Cloe’s attorneys add that Cam’ron appeared on the song “voluntarily and without condition” and that he never raised any objections “prior to its commercial release.” And they say he “is not, and never was, a joint author or co-owner of the sound recording.”