J. Cole released new single “Middle Child,” today via Dreamville/Roc Nation Records. The rapper’s first single since 2013, “Middle Child” features a sample of Reservoir catalog cut “Wake Up to Me” by 70’s soul girl-group First Choice. The sample, discovered by Cole on music licensing site Tracklib, was “the initial inspiration for the record,” noted producer T-Minus.

In conjunction with Reservoir, Tracklib added never-before-heard multi-tracks and master tracks from the classic soul label Philly Groove Records, including material from the 60s and 70s by First Choice, The Coupe De Villes, Ben Aiken, Sound Experience, among others. “We were hoping that artists would be able to discover the richness of the catalog through our partnership with Tracklib, and to hear a 45-year-old First Choice song sampled in J. Cole’s newest single is truly gratifying”, says Faith Newman, Reservoir’s SVP of A&R and Catalog Development.

Regarding “Middle Child”, Rolling Stone emphasized how J. Cole’s “loquacious bars glide over the percolating beats and horn melodies” while he “traverses the landscape of his musical world, looking at the past, present and the future”.

Stream the powerful cut below: