The Real is coming back.
J. Cole has announced that his new single “Middle Child,” produced by T-Minus (Drake, Kendrick Lamar), will drop on Wednesday, Jan. 23, at 9 p.m. EST. Taking to social media, Cole shared the announcement along with the cover artwork.
It’s unclear if “Middle Child” will appear on the upcoming Dreamville compilation Revenge of the Dreamers III or a project of Cole’s own. He had previously announced plans for a mixtape called The Off-Season, which is expected to precede his next album The Fall Off.
Just last week, he wrapped the recording sessions for Revenge of the Dreamers III, which took place in Atlanta over the course of 10 days, with artists including T.I., DJ Khaled, Wale, and Swizz Beatz. Dreamville co-founder Ibrahim Hamad took to Instagram Stories to preview a never-before-heard Cole track that may appear on the project.
Prior to today’s announcement, Cole cleared out his Instagram account and posted what may be the lyrics to “Middle Child.” The since-deleted posts read “I’m counting my bullets,” “I’m loading my clips,” “I’m writing down names,” and “I’m making a list.”
“Middle Child” follows Cole’s album KOD, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 in April. In August, he dropped his “Album of the Year (Freestyle).”