J. Cole Apologizes to Kendrick Lamar for 'Lamest and Goofiest' Diss

J. Cole says his "7 Minute Drill" diss towards Kendrick Lamar will be removed from streaming services shortly ... and he's ashamed he ever recorded it.

On Sunday, Cole signed off his Dreamville Festival to address the buzz created from the track that slandered Kendrick's catalog -- making it clear he didn't want any smoke, steam, or vapors going forward!!!

Cole told the North Carolina crowd he was proud of his new "Might Delete Later" project ... save for the Kendrick diss. In Cole's own words, "That was the lamest, goofiest s***" ... which echoes most of the comments when he dropped the track.

50 Cent, Nicki Minaj, SZA, Sexxy Red were in Cole's hometown for the fest but Cole admitted to the audience that his weekend was trash due to the backlash.

Cole signed off rallying the crowd to cheer for Kendrick's talent and career and finished with his affectionate record "Love Yours."

The apology left Cole and Dreamville fans in disbelief ... after all, he just rapped on the new album, "A-B-C-D-E-F-G, H-I-J-K, uh, M-N-O-P/That's little me in the classroom asking 'What's L?'/I never been known to take those.

TDE President Punch and "To Pimp a Butterfly" producer Terrace Martin also scoffed at Cole's surrender. "7-Minute Drill" fired indirect shots at their work, too.