Middle Child

Lore & Background

The song was made about two months before the highly promoted Dreamville recording sessions, which were held the same month "Middle Child" was released. Producer T-Minus revealed in a January 25, 2019 interview with Complex that he and Cole started from scratch, brainstorming together. Cole and his manager had an idea to pull a sample out, so they went online and found a loop from "Wake Up to Me" by '70s Philadelphia trio First Choice. The moment they heard it, they all reacted. Cole fell in love with it, and T-Minus could tell he had the vision for what he wanted. They filled the track out in one day—the beat was built, Cole started writing, and he recorded it. It was pretty much done within that day. It was one of the last days of a five-day run of sessions, so it came right in the nick of time. The sample was found and cleared through music licensing site Tracklib, which allowed them to isolate the horns before adding drums. T-Minus put reverb on the horn sample to give it an airy, bigger effect. The drums were reminiscent of Cole's album KOD, with stuttery hi-hats that were very short but rhythmic. Cole wanted an 808 pattern that went from high to low, and T-Minus noted the 808 for being "really hard." Hi-hats were incorporated to add more energy when the song drops. At the end of the record, they added an effect to make everything sound dark and kind of trippy, similar to T-Minus' signature style on Kendrick Lamar's "Swimming Pools (Drank)" and Lil Wayne's "She Will."

Reader's Guide

To fully appreciate "Middle Child," start with the production details. The song uses an exclusive multi-track sample of the horns section from "Wake Up to Me" by First Choice, cleared through Tracklib. T-Minus added reverb to make the horns airy and bigger, then layered in drums reminiscent of KOD with stuttery hi-hats. Cole insisted on an 808 pattern that goes from high to low, and T-Minus incorporated hi-hats for energy. The ending features a dark, trippy effect signature to T-Minus. The lyrics explore Cole's place between old and new generations of hip hop, making him the "middle child" of rap. The music video, directed by Mez, includes a lit-up marching band, covered dead bodies, stuffed rappers' heads on a mantle, and a woman picking a Saran-wrapped head out of a sale freezer at a grocery store. Laura Dzubay of The Michigan Daily said the visuals are very evocative, and Jordan Darville of The Fader described the video as "a fun, symbolic, and provocative set of visuals." Several remixes have been made, including by rappers Deante' Hitchcock (released January 28, 2019), Reason (released March 8, 2019), and Montana of 300 (released March 24, 2019).

Did You Know?

• The music video was directed by fellow North Carolina rapper Mez and was his first directed video.
• J. Cole performed 'Middle Child' at the 2019 NBA All-Star Game halftime show in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• The song peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming J. Cole's highest-charting song until 'My Life' peaked at number two.

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