J. Cole has returned to make a statement. The Dreamville leader has released his new single “Middle Child” on Wednesday night (January 23) as promised.
Cole’s latest track reflects on his status within Hip Hop’s current landscape. He confidently declares himself “the greatest right now” while also noting his role as the connective tissue between two eras.
“I’m dead in the middle of two generations/I’m little bro and big bro all at once/Just left the lab with young 21 Savage/I’m ’bout to go and meet Jigga for lunch,” he raps.
Listen to Cole’s “Middle Child” below.
[This post has been updated. The following was originally published on January 21, 2019.]
J. Cole wasn’t idly teasing fans with Instagram activity on Monday (January 21). A few hours after deleting some hints on his account, the Billboard chart-topping MC confirmed he would be releasing a new song titled “Middle Child” on Wednesday (January 23).
“New single coming 1/23 @ 9pm,” he wrote. “Cole x @tminus.”
The track’s producer, T-Minus, was one of the many beatmakers who spent time in Atlanta for Dreamville’s Revenge Of The Dreamers III sessions. He previously worked with Cole on 2018’s KOD, producing the song “Kevin’s Heart.”
[This post has been updated. The following was originally published on January 21, 2019 at 1:06 p.m. PST.]
J. Cole is fueling speculation of a new music release with his Instagram activity. The Dreamville Records founder hinted a potential battle record, sharing four new messages on the social media platform before deleting all of his posts on Monday (January 21).
“I’m making a list,” he wrote. “I’m writing down names. I’m loading my clips. I’m counting my bullets.”
Cole’s teaser comes on the heels of his Revenge Of The Dreamers III recording sessions, which wrapped up last week in Atlanta. Over the course of 10 days, HipHopDX’s 2018 Rapper Of The Year and his Dreamville team worked on the compilation with a bevy of Hip Hop stars and acclaimed producers.
T.I., Rick Ross, Big K.R.I.T., Ski Mask The Slump God and Westside Gunn were just a few of the notable rappers to participate in the sessions. Tay Keith, S1, Kenny Beats and Childish Major were among the producers brought in to contribute.
It’s unclear if Cole’s Instagram activity is referencing Dreamville’s upcoming Revenge Of The Dreamers III compilation or if it’s a clue about his solo work.
Last year, the platinum-selling artist closed out his KOD album with “1985,” a song that explicitly referred to a new project titled The Fall Off. He later revealed his previously released singles “Everybody Dies” and “False Prophets” were originally recorded for The Fall Off.
Check out Cole’s since-deleted posts below.
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Overrated as fuck ! J. Cole can’t pick up beats ! On each of his album, only 3/4 tracks are listenable. The rest of it sound trash. He definitely should pick better beats
if 3/4 of a album is good that usually means its a good album…. some fucking comments on this site bro I fuckin swear y’all have downs.
He probably means only 3 or 4 tracks are listenable….Cole better not use 1 trap beat on this album. I don’t want trap synths, no trap hi hats, no trap 808s, nothing trap.
Im dying??
!!!!
You probably listen to Drake or Migos ain’t no one fucking with cole or Kendrick stick to this new age filth
J Cole isn’t on Kendrick’s level. Stop overrating him. He just happens to be better then the trash that’s going on right now. This songs is better good.
I meant this song is pretty good
I mean I’m pretty g@y
More bland music from a mediocre rapper
I’m sure your doing better in whatever it is your doing than Cole is with his “bland” “mediocre” rap career. Lol you divas need attention soo bad. Go get paid
Y’all some haters this banging
This slaps
Harder than your butt cheeks slap
I fuck wit J Cole but declaring yourself “the greatest” at any moment is corny and lame. There’s always someone in this world bigger and better.
Ok so maybe next he’ll declare himself “pretty good” or “above average” that’ll sound bad ass!!
I’m all for humbleness but bragging is part of this game. Get with it or go listen to something soft.
J Cole is soft
You’re soft
Rakim, LL & Em have all claimed they the greatest too.
Except those guys can actually back it up
Cole goes platinum without features 3 times and that’s not backing it up?…hold this L
Platinum does not equal better. That’s a seriously BS attempt at an argument. You better keep a hold of that L yourself it suits you perfectly.
Did I say better? It’s not an attempt at an argument… its facts. You have to give credit where credit is due…name another artist going platinum with no features or singles or promo in this generation of hiphop. I’ll wait…
Yes, and ja Rule sold out J Cole by a shit ton… Do album sales equate to talent? I guess Cardi B is extremely talented too lol… I dislike when people use popularity as a means of claiming talent.
Ja RuuuUUUuuule?
This is a bit of a snoozer (he himself sounds bored), but… it’s good to hear him rapping over someone else’s production. Hopefully he continues that much, but adds a bit more kick to his vocal work.
His music been on snooze since Borm Sinner
Cole makes my box moist
The greatest? Did Em and K Dot die?
One word. Wack.
Yeah.. you sound like a henchman
Sounds way better @ 1.25x speed. Try it.
Cole really needs to fall back on that greatest talk before Kendrick releases and fucks his whole argument up. And then the man is gonna go back to saying how he doesn’t care about titles and being the best rapper. Cole phony sometimes.
Yawn……..
you a dumb bitch. he’s clearly challenging everyone. he wants kendrick to say something. he’s bored of the rap game
Production could be better but lyrics on point as usual.
Thanks to all the stans and the dickriders J. Cole is having a Kanye West moment right now thinking of himself as “the greatest”. Except that he is NOT. This sounds average as fuck !
Not diggin the lazy trap drums, but unlike the fact that he’s beginning to call out the wackness that’s out today. However, Cole fell into the trap. Don’t make this an argument about young vs old. Make it about skill, quality, authenticity, and original and suddenly all the trap SoundCloud rappers are exposed. That’s your “lit” generation, J. Cole.
He doesnt say hes the greatest of all time. He says i learned from the greats, im the greatest RIGHT NOW…I would say thats true if it werent for kendrick. But those 2 are arguably the best right now. This guy can go number 1 with no features or press. That isnt easy to do. If kodak black dropped an album today without telling anyone, he wouldnt go #1. Aibt nobody wanna hear a whole album just kodak. He isnt skilled enough yer where he can make a cohesive project.
Both already passed their primes. Kendrick lately makes radio rap… That song led black panther soundtrack with Big Sean… Like the fuck. I originally loved Kendrick because he had a mono tone, non annoying voice. Then he went and started editing his voice to be super high pitched, and now he sounds like a gay Lil Wayne. Section .80 and GKMC are classics. TPAB is cool. I don’t like Damn.
Kendrick doesn’t have a song with Big Sean on Black Panther wtf are you taking about
Ahhh, your right. I was referring to the song “big shot” with Travis Scott lol. I can’t play that track
Translation, you have no idea what you’re talking about when it comes to hiphop. Stfu
J. Cole is the greatest at being general.
Hit it rite on the head with that comment
Love the one-off songs Cole puts out but whenever I try listening to an album I’m asleep by the third track. KOD had potential but no one wants to hear Cole repeating the same word over and over again for a hook. And he’s calling out the new generation for not being creative? smh…
To stop talking trash try me in a rap battle
Lit y’all should not talk trash but I can beet this kid
More boring, “woke” kinda music. Stuff is so played out. If you enjoy it, good. But I’m sleeping on it lol. And no, all because I don’t like J Coles new music doesn’t mean I listen to Lil Pump and trash throw aways like that.
I got Kendrick at 1A and Cole at 1B for best in the game. I’m not feeling this new single just yet.
Kendrick and Cole…stop playing around and give us an EP this year!
Heat. Usually don’t like that kind of beat but he killed it with real bars.
Smh… damn Cole going down the hypocritical bitch ass road… so sad captain save a ho. STAY OUT OTHER RAPPER BEEF!
Hot track with a nice mssg, probably best I’ve heard in twenty nineteen so far..
This joint is pretty nice I can say it’s decent. Nothing really mind blowing here But Cole always holds it down.. STOP THE HATING FOR NOTHING PEOPLE
finally a dope beat with dope lyrics, its been dope beats with mumble bs for a min. if only we can have drake cole Kendrick and big sean make music thatll b greeeeat
This bangs, but Cole is not now nor has he ever been the greatest in the game
Who’s the greatest then? Kendrick? I mean they are both great but cole has consistently dropped 4 out of 5 and 5 out of 5 with barely any features and mostly produced by himself. So I think coles efforts for the number one spot can be disputed but we will see. Hopefully he can solidify his spot as number one.
4 out of 5 what? He has no classics. Kendrick has at least 2. I’d argue 4
He can’t solidlfy it. In my opinion he doesn’t have a claim to it. His first two albums were only passable, 2018 was really good, but 4 Your Eyez Only was terrible the concept was good, but it was so boring, and then you have KOD which was very middle of the road. Not to mention his lyricism has never been as good as people say. He’s not bad by any means, but he’s not close to #1.
Then who is number 1? Drake? Kendrick?
Cole wants to be what Kendrick is
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