J Cole has has dropped his highly anticipated single, Middlechild, and the internet can’t stop talking about it, and for good reasons too.
The single, produced by T-Minus productions has the North Carolina native addressing his place in the industry, referring to himself as a middle child – a little brother to the legends that came before him, and a big brother to the generations after him. He rhymes – “I’m dead in the middle of 2 generations. I’m little bro and big bro all at once”
He gives heads up to Jay Z, 21 Savage and Kodak Black, whom he calls real. “Had a long talk with the young na Kodak Reminded me of young nas from ‘Ville Straight out the projects, no fakin’, just honest”
The rapper, whose last album, KOD, dropped last year also talked about Drake and his friendship with the Canadian.
“Just put the Rollie right back on my wrist / This watch came from Drizzy, he gave me a gift,” he raps. “They act like two legends cannot co-exist / But I never beef with a nia for nothin’ / If I smoke a rapper, it’s gon’ be legit / It won’t be for clout, it won’t be for fame / It won’t be ’cause my shit ain’t sellin’ the same / It won’t be to sell you my latest lil’ sneakers / It won’t be ’cause some nias slid in my lane.”
The former part of the above lyrics is believed to be a shot at Pusha T and Kanye West, who started a beef with Drake in the lead up to the later’s album last year.
Besides showing love to the new comers, who he asked to get the money, (“I love you lil’ ni**as, I’m glad that you came / I hope that you scrape every dollar you can”) he also called himself “the greatest”
Despite that. the song is anti-feud as epitomised by his line on Drake that says legends can co-exist.
Cole also teased fans by insinuating more was coming:
My new song. MIDDLE CHILD. Available everywhere now. This how I’m coming all year. This how @dreamville
coming all 2019. https://t.co/KMbCTZa0x7— J. Cole (@JColeNC) January 24, 2019
What a way to start the year.