J. Cole 'ashamed' of Drake track

Rapper J. Cole has apologised for using "ignorant" lyrics.

The musician collaborated with Drake on track Jodeci Freestyle, in which he refers to people with autism.

After an angry backlash, J. Cole responded on his blog to say sorry for causing offence.

"I realized right away that what I said was wrong. I was instantly embarrassed that I would be ignorant enough say something so hurtful. What makes the crime worse is that I should have known better," he wrote.

"To the entire Autism community who expressed outrage, I'm moved and inspired by your passion, and I'm amazed at how strong you are as a unit. I have now read stories online from parents about their struggles and triumphs with raising an Autistic child and I admire how incredibly strong you have to be to do so. It's touching. It also makes what I said even more embarrassing for me. I feel real shame. You have every right to be angry. (sic)"

The star went on to clarify that people dealing with autism deserve "medals not disrespect" and promised he would educate himself about the condition.

Recently Kanye West came under fire for referencing Parkinson's disease on his Yeezus album.

While J. Cole clearly felt ashamed about his mistake, he also defended musicians' right to freedom of speech.

"Recently there's been a trend that includes rappers saying something offensive, only to be attacked for it in the media and pressured to apologize. I have to be completely honest and say there's a part of me that resents that. I view rap similar to how I view comedy. It's going to ruffle feathers at times. It's going to go 'too far'. I do not believe that an apology is needed every time someone is offended, especially when that apology is really only for the sake of saving an endorsement or cleaning up bad press," he argued.

"With that said, this is not the case today. This letter is sincere. This apology IS necessary. (sic)"