The real is back. J. Cole returns with the highly-anticipated video for “Middle Child.”
In the clip, directed by rapper King Mez, the Dreamville boss stands in front of an audience on a red carpet at an awards show before the backdrop changes to dead bodies lying under sheets with dirty shoes. He then takes over a log cabin with heads of “Your Favorite Rapper” adorning the walls and a plaque that reads: “This Could Be You.”
“I copied your cadence, I mirrored your style,” he raps. “I studied the greats, I’m the greatest right now.”
Cole also rides through the mud in a Bentley Bentayga, and cruises the aisles of a grocery store in a shopping cart. The video ends with Cole celebrating on stage of a championship race while his Dreamville crew sprays champagne.
Produced by T-Minus, “Middle Child” marks the first single off Cole’s upcoming sixth album, which is due sometime this year. Additionally, Dreamville is planning to release three projects in the first half of 2019—the Revenge of the Dreamers III compilation, Ari Lennox’s Shea Butter Baby, and EarthGang’s Mirrorland.
Watch Cole give you something you can feel.