On December 9, 2016, J.Cole blessed us with his fourth studio album '4 Your Eyez Only.' Again, Cole produced an album with no features and powerful tracks such as "Immortal" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" tell us stories of death and contemplating suicide. More lighthearted tracks on Cole's album such as "Change" and "She's Mine, Pt.1," tell stories of positive change and love.
Cole is a noted lyricist and likes to tell a story within his album. '4 Your Eyez Only' has a very deep meaning, as according to Vibe ,Cole wrote the album from the perspective of his deceased friend, James McMillan Jr. However, Cole's life also parallels the struggles and stories within the album. For example, both Cole and McMillan went through times of feeling down but then they found love and had a child. The only difference is Cole is living on to tell his friend's story and he is telling the story to McMillan's daughter.
There seems to be many different connections and meanings within this story behind the album. In '2014 Forest Hills Drive' Cole spoke about his early life and his rise to fame. '4 Your Eyez Only' adds to this story with more emotion and the effects of street life in his lyrics. Within Cole's albums there is often many political messages such as the struggle between the rich and the poor, and in the case of this album, Cole seems to be speaking to the youth who are negatively effected by street violence.
Cole speaks of opportunity and shying away from the small-town mentality to reach his dreams. On "Ville Mentality," Cole raps about his career and the harsh reality of fame. He claims that people only hit up his phone for a favor and he questions how long he will be relevant in the rap game. The end of the track features a young girl's voice (presumably McMillan's daughter) who is speaking of her father dying and not going to his funeral. Cole speaks on the larger issue of street mentality and growing up without a father himself.
The last track on the album titled, "4 Your Eyez Only," Cole changes from his perspective to McMillan's perspective. The song is meant to be heard specifically by both Cole and McMillan's daughters. It tells the struggle of growing up around violence, drugs and gangs. He ends the verse confirming his love for his daughter even through all of this harsh reality.
