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A Thread About 4 Your Eyez Only. My Favorite Album of All Time.
Background:
The release of 4 Your Eyez Only was very much a transitional state in J. Cole’s career. 2 years prior he released his most successful album to date, 2014 Forest Hills Drive.
The release of 4 Your Eyez Only was very much a transitional state in J. Cole’s career. 2 years prior he released his most successful album to date, 2014 Forest Hills Drive.
After completion of the world tour, Cole realized that he was starting to become generally uninspired.
Eventually, Cole came to the conclusion that deep down he still had the desire to truly push his pen and become the best rapper he believed he could be.
Eventually, Cole came to the conclusion that deep down he still had the desire to truly push his pen and become the best rapper he believed he could be.
His short term goal was to finish 4 Your Eyez Only, the project he had already started on. His long term goal though, in his words was “becoming the best rapper I could possibly be before hanging up my jersey, leaving nothing on the table when all was said and done”.
We’ll see Cole at his lyrical best on his next album, The Fall Off.
Cole’s rapping had changed dramatically from his mixtape days. At this time Cole prioritized “story, emotion, and message” above everything else.
Cole’s rapping had changed dramatically from his mixtape days. At this time Cole prioritized “story, emotion, and message” above everything else.
It was J. Cole’s focus on these 3 qualities that made 4 Your Eyez Only into the masterpiece that it is.
Eyez:
4 Days prior to the release of the album, Cole released Eyez, a 40 minute documentary that showcased different aspects of the recording process and also premiered 2 new songs, Everybody dies and False Prophets.
4 Days prior to the release of the album, Cole released Eyez, a 40 minute documentary that showcased different aspects of the recording process and also premiered 2 new songs, Everybody dies and False Prophets.
This further built up the hype for the album as both songs showcased great rapping and had controversial lyrics.
Cover:
In September of 2016, Cole and his photographer Anthony Supreme took a 2 week trip travelling through the South taking over 5000 photos for the album.
Cover:
In September of 2016, Cole and his photographer Anthony Supreme took a 2 week trip travelling through the South taking over 5000 photos for the album.
One day, Cole and his team stopped at a mural in a random suburban neighborhood and while there one boy was staring at J. Cole.
Anthony had this to say “The young boy’s face just stood out to me to capture. I saw in his eyes he knew nothing about J.Cole, but was somewhat amazed how everyone was reacting to him.”
Concept:
4 Your Eyez Only is a concept album about the life of Cole’s departed friend James McMillan Jr. The album delves into several facets of James’ life such as fighting depression, living in poverty, falling in love, and having a child.
4 Your Eyez Only is a concept album about the life of Cole’s departed friend James McMillan Jr. The album delves into several facets of James’ life such as fighting depression, living in poverty, falling in love, and having a child.
On first listen of the album, it's not clear that it's about James as the story being told draws several parallels to Cole’s life and James’ name isn’t explicitly stated till the 6th song, Change.
It's on the last verse of the final song that it becomes clear that the album is actually about James, not Cole, and that the album is meant for James’ daughter Nina.
Tracklist:
The album starts with a cassette tape being put in.
For Whom The Bell Tolls: A dark, depressing, and emotional opener to the album. The album starts with James sensing that the end of his life is nearing.
The album starts with a cassette tape being put in.
For Whom The Bell Tolls: A dark, depressing, and emotional opener to the album. The album starts with James sensing that the end of his life is nearing.
He’s depressed and questioning whether he really wants to continue living “Ain't no way to live, do I wanna die?
I don't know”. Even smoking marijuana isn’t helping “Tired of feeling low, even when I’m high”. A great way to establish who this album is about.
I don't know”. Even smoking marijuana isn’t helping “Tired of feeling low, even when I’m high”. A great way to establish who this album is about.
Immortal: The hardest song on the album, Cole raps about so much real shit. James has to sell drugs to make a living, but doing this can bring many unwanted things like prison time and people around you being killed.
It makes him cry to think about all of the friends that he has lost during his life. The outro is possibly the best verse on the entire album, “To die a young legend or live a long life unfulfilled 'Cause you wanna change the world, but while alive you never will”
Deja Vu: The tone of the album becomes a bit more positive and we get our first love song. James confesses his feelings for a woman and says “I fell in love with you before I ever even knew”, you could say it was love at first sight.
There was a bit of controversy after this song was released as it shared a very similar beat to Bryson Tiller’s Exchange
Ville Mentality: A beautiful jazzy instrumental plays and on this track we learn more about the mental struggles that James is going through from lines like “Damn it, won't be long 'fore I disappear” and “How long can I survive with this mentality?”.
On this track a young girl speaks and about not having a father anymore, and it's evident that losing a father has had traumatic effects on her life. James’ daughter Nina is going through this very pain.
She’s Mine Pt. 1: James delves into the love he feels for that special woman in his life. This track also draws parallels to Cole's love for his wife. We get some singing from J. Cole on this song and it's honestly beautiful. Just a very wholesome song about being in love.
Change: One of J. Cole’s best songs ever. Similar to other tracks, this track goes way deeper into James’ life and how he feels mentally. James is struggling but he still remains hopeful that life will get better “my intuition is telling me there'll be better days”.
He’s very aware that his life is running out of time, and he’s almost starting to just accept it “Bringing me closer to Heaven's doors with every step, As we speak I'm at peace, no longer scared to die”.
This song has my favorite J. Cole hook ever and the line “But the only real change comes from inside” is just so true. Ari Lennox provides some angelic vocals on this song and really makes the song just that much better than it already was.
To end off the song, a service is held for James, and it's at this point in the album that we begin to understand that this project is not about Cole, but about his fallen friend. The production and lyricism on this song are some of Cole’s best ever.
Neighbors: This is the song that deviates the most from the album in the sense that it still applies to James, but it also talks about Cole’s life and an experience he personally went through.
Cole addresses the racism that goes on in the United States and says that even if you’re rich, and even if the president of the united states listens to your music, some horrible things still can’t be avoided, “Some things you can't escape: Death, taxes, and a racist society”.
The song also addresses an experience that Cole went through in March of 2016 where the house he was renting in North Carolina was raided by a SWAT team after racist neighbors complained that drugs were being sold/made in the house.
No drugs were ever found and video footage of the entire event was captured from the security cameras at the house.
Interesting fact, the Neighbors beat has the same beat as Forbidden Fruit, just played in reverse and the pitch is altered slightly.
Interesting fact, the Neighbors beat has the same beat as Forbidden Fruit, just played in reverse and the pitch is altered slightly.
Foldin Clothes: This song is about folding clothes. Well on the surface it is. It's really about doing small gestures for that person you love just to make their life that much easier.
It's a way of showing love and appreciation. In the last verse, Cole addresses people from the hood hiding their emotions or changing the way they act just to get through life. It's a simple song, but it's fun, and has a good message.
She’s Mine Pt. 2: We finally meet who this album is meant for, James' daughter Nina. On this track we learn that James and Nina have a very strong bond, and the love James has for her is immeasurable. Another beautiful love song, with some great singing from Cole
4 Your Eyez Only: Here we are, the last song on the album. In my opinion, this is the best song Cole has ever made. Nearly 9 minutes of incredible storytelling. This song perfectly closes the album by bringing everything full circle.
The first 3 verses are from James’ perspective on life and he goes into a lot of detail. He talks about his difficulty finding employment because of previous felonies, which leads him to commit more crimes, and it's a vicious cycle.
James used to have dreams, but life in the hood just wouldn’t allow it. He goes deep into the traumas that he has experienced, like his own father being killed and his mom being addicted to drugs. He also reveals that his daughter's name is Nina.
The last verse is from Cole’s perspective and everything begins to make sense. James saw his demise coming and he knew it couldn’t be avoided so he let Cole know and told Cole to play this album for his daughter when he dies.
To end off the song, Cole explains why James was a real man
"Not because he lived a life of crime and sat behind some bars
Not because he screamed, "Fuck the law"
Although that was true
Your daddy was a real ni**a 'cause he loved you
For your eyes only”
"Not because he lived a life of crime and sat behind some bars
Not because he screamed, "Fuck the law"
Although that was true
Your daddy was a real ni**a 'cause he loved you
For your eyes only”
No fancy wordplay, no crazy metaphors, but pure emotional storytelling. The song is perfect, from the beautiful sample of Yuji Ohno’s To the Oasis, to Cole’s best storytelling ever.
In my opinion this song is Cole’s magnum opus, and will be more appreciated as one of the best rap songs ever in the years to come.
I have so much respect for Cole making an album like this. He hit his commercial peak with 2014FHD, and then decided to drop an album where he just spit real shit and didn’t care about having mainstream appeal and radio hits.
This album means everything to me. It's my favorite album of all time, and it always hits so hard with every listen.
Documentary: A few months after the album was released, a documentary of the same name was released that had interviews, music videos, and also previewed a song called Javari, which was leaked earlier this year.
Concert: The concert was amazing too. Cole really made it a full on experience. The stage was lined with barbed wire, and he wore a prison jumpsuit during the show which made it even more iconic.
Seeing my favorite album ever performed live really was one of the best days of my life.
Thanks J. Cole for this masterpiece!
Thanks J. Cole for this masterpiece!
Any support for this thread is appreciated!!!
