J. Cole let his fans know that he finally found happiness in being content with what he has at the end of "2014 Forest Hills Drive" on “Love Yourz,” so when he announced his latest album “4 Your Eyez Only” it raised questions about what he’d actually be rapping about.
Prior to “2014FHD,” Cole often touched on the perils of the music industry, empty one night stands and letting down his idols by going pop, but he seemed to finally close that chapter at the end of his last album. This time around he decided to do something completely out-of-the-box and it works at times on "4 Your Eyez Only."
It can be said that the new album's narrative actually starts on “2014FHD.” (This is my personal theory). There are two young men from Fayetteville, North Carolina in the song “03 Adolescence,” one being Cole who eventually leaves the streets for a career in rap and the other who scolds the rapper for admiring the street life. He tells Cole that he’ll never have the same opportunities and his life will consist of dead-end jobs and dealing drugs. The rest of Cole’s friend’s story seems to be documented for his daughter on “4 Your Eyez Only" and doesn't end like the rapper's did. Cole described '2014FHD' as the soundtrack to his life in an interview with Combat Jack back in 2014. "4 Your Eyez Only" feels like the soundtrack to his friend's life.
Cole opens up the album crying out from his friend’s perspective on “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” Compelling intros have become a staple in Cole’s work and this song doesn’t stray from that formula. The lush instrumentation and urgency in Cole’s voice are infectious and tells the listener that this story might not have a happy ending like "2014FHD." A proclamation of the street mentality follows in “Immortal” which is arguably the most aggressive track on the album. Cole is at his best on this one delivering strong imagery illustrating the mind state of someone who’s been defeated by the system and turns to crime. “In my mind I’ve been crying know it’s wrong but I’m selling,” raps Cole. Knowing his past, it’s clear that the song is being told from someone else’s perspective and hints at the big reveal which comes later on. After setting the tone for a dark dramatic presentation, Cole follows his pattern of early love/sex songs on his track-listing and sticks “Deja Vu,” a decent but misplaced single type joint in the middle of the narrative. This song feels unnecessary and sort of breaks away from the concept. It also uses a sample that was already made popular by Bryson Tiller on his 2016 smash “Exchange.” Cole really should have left this one off.
Things pick back up with the next track “Ville Mentality.” Once again, the instrumentation is there and Cole is showcasing his singing voice. He’s not exactly Drake or Tiller, but Cole makes his voice work while questioning the subject’s mortality. The hopelessness is evident here. “Damn it, won’t be long before I disappear,” sings Cole. It also includes the first glimpse into the big reveal with a young girl talking about losing her father at the end of the song. At first, the girl's placement seems random but makes sense in later listens when the whole project has been digested. “She’s Mine Pt.1,” a love song that seems to parallel Cole’s and the subject’s life which is deep, awkward and warm, comes next and starts to give the listener a bit of perceptive on the subject’s humanity. Here is a person that loves like anyone else, but is trapped in a cycle of death. “Change” and “Neighbors” provide the 1-2 punch that hardcore hip-hop fans will need to be fully sold on this album. Cole channel’s Tupac’s flow in “Change” and delivers almost the same message as “Love Yourz." “Neighbors” documents the real-life experience of Cole who moved into a white neighborhood in the south and had his house raided by cops who were given a tip that the rapper and his friends were pushing drugs there. “Neighbors” is a sad but accurate representation of the temperature of white communities when blacks move in. It’s also the second-best song on the album.
“Foldin Clothes,” a fun song about doing the “simple things” for your significant other to show your love follows and is Cole’s attempt at grown-man rap. This song is also awkward upon first listen, but features an amazing baseline and a super catchy chorus that will stick in your head for days. Next is “She’s Mine Pt. 2” which is a reworking of the first version that is written to reflect the subject having a daughter. It works for the overall concept but not for repeat listens. If you don’t like “Pt.1” you probably won’t like “Pt.2” with both songs using the same beat. "Pt.2" is the last glimpse of joy we get to see in the subject's life as the ending of “4 Your Eyez Only” is bittersweet. The title track is easily one of Cole’s best songs to date but ends on a sad note. We find out that Cole has been speaking from the perspective of his friend, possibly the one from “03 Adolescence,” for a majority of the album to his daughter and letting her know what he went through before his untimely death in the streets. Cole appears as himself and delivers one of his most heartfelt and tear-jerking verses of his career at the song’s close. “Girl your daddy was a real n***a, not because he was hard, not because he lived a life of crime and sat behind some bars. Not because he screamed f**k the law although that was true. Your daddy was a real n***a cuz he loved you! 4 Your Eyez Only,” raps Cole.
“4 Your Eyez Only” is not an obvious hip-hop classic and comes with its set of flaws. The concept is compelling, but a concept doesn’t always equate to great music. There’s definitely some amazing songs on this project with some others that scared me at first but later grew on me in a way that only timeless music does. I can never see myself liking the uninspired “Deja Vu” which Cole should have left off in order to let Tiller live. It belongs on “Born Sinner” with the rest of the bland female songs on that project. A few track-list adjustments and maybe the addition of the songs featured on his “Eyez” documentary could have made this Cole’s strongest project to date. Unfortunately, that’s not the case here. It’s also rare that an artist can follow up a near-classic like “2014FHD” with something just as good so my expectations were met. With just 10 songs on the album, I really hope he releases his follow-up in less time than it took him to drop this one. However, "4 Your Eyez Only" is not to be slept on. It definitely can be said that it features some of Cole's finest work to date. It also continues to grow on me more with each passing day.
