J. Cole’s “MIDDLE CHILD” Explained | Song Stories

JACQUES: J. Cole put the rap game on notice with “MIDDLE CHILD.” JACQUES: "MIDDLE CHILD” is produced by Cole and T-Minus who linked up last year on "Kevin's Heart” and 6LACK’s and Cole’s “Pretty Little Fears.”. JACQUES: It’s unclear whether or not it’s attached to a specific project - although Cole recently collaborated with dozens of artists on the forthcoming “Revenge of The Dreamers III” in Atlanta. JACQUES: As for the title, Cole is not actually a “middle child,” instead he’s using it as a metaphor for his position in rap. JACQUES: He begins the track with an interpolation of Haven Gillespie’s 1934 Christmas classic, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.” JACQUES: On the first verse, Cole seems to contrast his 2018 position on drugs from his last album, KOD, which may stand for Kids On Drugs. JACQUES: The North Carolina MC previously commented on the effects of drugs like pills and lean in hip-hop with his album cover, songs like “1985” and the “ATM” video. JACQUES: Next, Cole raps about his dedication to elevating those around him rather than just amassing wealth for himself. JACQUES: Cole’s mention of NBA player LeBron James is a metaphor for how he teamed up in 2010 with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in order to win his first NBA title. Furthermore, The King’s childhood friend Maverick Carter manages his career. JACQUES: As for Cole, his college best friend Ibrahim Hamad is the president of the MC’s label, Dreamville Records. JACQUES: Next, Cole mentions his rap peer, Drake and how the music industry seeks to pit rappers against each other. JACQUES: In many ways J. Cole and Drake have had parallel careers - both dropping breakthrough mixtapes in 2009 with Cole’s 'The Warm Up' and Drake’s 'So Far Gone.' JACQUES: They have collaborated twice - 2010's “In The Morning” and 2013’s “Jodeci Freestyle." JACQUES: The two remain friends, and were seen most recently hanging out in Los Angeles. DRAKE: Who would’ve thunk it man? In the ghostie...no casper man. JACQUES: Fans are speculating that these lines are aimed at Kanye West, who was mired in a beef with Drake in 2018. In December, Ye took aim at Drake in a series of tweets, days before the newest release of his Yeezy boosts. JACQUES: This wouldn’t be the first time Cole has made a reference to Kanye - he also appeared to call him out on 2016’s “False Prophets.” JACQUES: Next, Cole sends a message to rap’s younger generation. JACQUES: Cole is known for sharing his thoughts about the new school of hip-hop - in May 2018 he sat down with Lil Pump after expressing similar sentiments towards him on “1985.” COLE: I did that maybe a year or so ago. That was closer to when I didn't understand what was going on all the way. Over time I started to realize like, yo I'm trippin' I should be appreciating that it's different. JACQUES: Back on the track, Cole dives into his position in rap’s landscape with Atlanta’s 21 Savage and Brooklyn's JAY-Z. JACQUES: 21 featured Cole on his track, “a lot." 21: And we was just in there chopping it up and then he took the song with him, drove all the way back to Raleigh it was like 3 AM, he drove all the way back to Raleigh and did the song. JACQUES: Next, Cole briefly shouts out Florida’s Kodak Black, who was recently released from prison and is currently awaiting trial for a separate sexual assault charge. JACQUES: On “Middle Child,” Cole airs out his positive feelings and negative thoughts toward the industry, and fans are loving it so far. JACQUES: Cole teased the track on Twitter a couple days ahead of its release, and since then, it’s shot to the top of the Genius song chart. JACQUES: If you wanna learn more about “Middle Child,” check out the song page on Genius.com. JACQUES: I’m Jacques Morel with Genius News bringing you the meaning and the knowledge behind the music. Peace!

Channel: Genius

Views: 2,262,932

Keywords: genius, rap genius, verified, official lyrics, lyrics, lyric video, Lyric videos, pop music, hip hop, rap, new pop music, j cole, middle child, j cole middle child, j cole music video, j cole interview, middle child music video, j cole 1985, j cole false prophets, j cole ATM, ATM music video, false prophets music video, j cole drake, drake, kanye west, j cole kanye west, gbwc0

Id: MXrjUaA8T10

Length: 4min 37sec (277 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 24 2019