Just last night, Germany-born and North Carolina-raised rapper J. Cole released his first single of 2019, in anticipation for an album coming out some time later this year. After he left his mark on 2018 with the concise and creative album KOD, which was his fifth album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 Chart, fans were just left to wonder how else he would amaze them come 2019.
Right from the start of this track, we are greeted with triumphant brass horns, then the hard-hitting hi-hats. Immediately, the production is clean and has those intricate trap drums which have become almost essential to a lot of mainstream hip-hop today.
The lyrics in this track have actually created quite the commotion of Twitter. Fans of both J. Cole and Kanye West have found themselves in various arguments after listening to Cole’s new song. Many think some of the lyrics are a direct diss to Kanye:
But I’d never beef with a n—- 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 sh** ain’t sellin’ the same
It won’t be to sell you my latest lil’ sneakers
Cole has often expressed his distaste for “beefs” and other drama in the rap game, most notably in his interview with Lil Pump. He notes in Middle Child that if he’s going to get into some sort of dramatic conflict with another rapper, it’ll be for a legitimate reason, not to sell sneakers, gain clout, etc. Many believe those lines are about Kanye – sneakers being in reference to Yeezy’s and gaining clout being in reference to Kanye’s obvious attempt to gain more popularity with his collaborations with 6ix9ine and Lil Pump.
The rest of the lyrics are in reference to both legendary, past rappers and the ones that are currently rising to fame. He’s not a part of either of these groupings, he’s the “middle child”.
There is no short of references to other rappers in this track, which makes it one that takes a few replays to catch everything. Overall, it’s a solid song. Cole uses noticeable autotune on his vocals throughout the track, which isn’t something he usually does. Fortunately, it doesn’t echo Travis Scott’s use of autotune, which has become a trend many are trying to emulate. Cole introduces his own individual take on the use of autotune; and, after a few listens, I’d have to say I enjoy it quite a bit.
Middle Child is definitely not the best we’ve seen from J. Cole, but it also isn’t the worst. It’s somewhere in the middle (no pun intended). Cole is one of the strongest hip-hop artists in the music industry right now, and I’m excited to see what he brings in 2019.
Overview
Rating: 3/5
Best line:
“I’m dead in the middle of two generations.”
– J. Cole, Middle Child
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