J Cole - 4 Your Eyes Only (Album Review)

Prior to the release of 2014 Forest Hills Drive album, J. Cole was a moderately popular rapper with acclaimed mixtapes and two 'okay' albums. 2014 FHD welcomed him into a level of stardom, with a different rollout and a moving perfomance of 'Be Free' in days leading up to the album. FHD is 2X platinum (without features) at the time of this writing. After FHD, he's toured extensively with sparse guest features, the most notable being 'Jermaine's Interlude' off DJ Khaled's Major Key album which features a moody delivery with thoughts of retirement. Luckily there's another album - 4 Your Eyez Only, preceded by a 40 minute long documentary which features two non-album aggressive songs (False Prophets & Everybody Diez). 

"we even really rapping, we just letting our dead homies tell stories for us" - 2pac Shakur (interview on Kendrick Lamar's 'Mortal Man).

4YEO is a concept album which sees Cole trying to show the similarities between his life and that of his friend, James McMillan who died at age 22 while trying to make a better life for his wife and his daughter. The album also serves as a meditation on the brevity (or longevity) of life as black man. The album's tone and production is the most minimal J. Cole has ever rapped or sung over with the aim of letting his lyrics and vocal delivery take forefront which showcases both the strengths and weaknesses of the album.

    The album starts in a depressed mood with Cole not sure about living on 'For whom the bell  tolls' sounding as melancholic as ever. The air of melancholy is ever present on the 2-part heartfelt love songs 'She's mine' (pt. 1 being for his wife and pt. 2 for his daughter) featuring piano scatters and a small accompanying string section which ironic to the tone radiates hope and happiness found in love. 'Ville Mentality' also has it's melancholic tone featuring a girl, supposedly James' daughter, narrating her pain about her father's death. The melancholy isn't throughout the album, there's undeniable funk on 'Foldin' Clothes' - a song that seems to acknowledge that little things matter in making a woman feel good in a relationship. 'Deja Vu' a crush song with the same sample and at some points similar drum patterns to Bryson Tiller's massive hit 'Exchange'. 'Deja Vu' is similar in concept with Cole's  'Dreams' cut featuring Brandon Hines from his Warm Up mixtape. Compared to the 'Dreams', Deja Vu is a lot less cinematic and with a line like 'from 0-10 she a 100' just make the song sound a little forced. 'Immortal' is a brag song over distorted almost marred by a "ass too fat for a flat screen" line. It is also filled with Rhetorical questions

 "Have you ever seen a fiend cook crack on the spoon? 

Have you ever a nigga that was black on the moon?" which show his introspect.

  Introspect is also present on standout cuts 'Change' and 'Neighbors'. 'Change' has message of hope with mantra-like lyrics like "the only real change come from inside". It is also partially narrates the death of James McMillan which brings to mind the second verse off Cole's Friday Night Light mixtape cut '2face'. 'Neighbors' relates the story of a SWAT team search for drugs at J. Cole's suburban house/studio with the plight of being a black man whether famous or not.

     Considering J. Cole is now a father, he seems confident in telling James' story to his daughter, Nina, which is evident on the final track (also the title track). His narration and the tone of his voice carries the message perfectly and Chargaux' palette cleanser midway through the song makes it feel fresh through its 8 minute run time.

    Considering there are no allusions to excretory human function except on she's mine pt. 2 which seems okay considering it's a baby (it's gross cute), it is J. Cole's strongest and most urgent album lyrically. But there's no variation in flow or 'lyrical calisthenics' to suggest he's transcended to 'god emcee' which might give a point to him being too familiar with his delivery. Also, Cole is NOT a singer. The emotions that bleed out of his voice while singing are evident but his vocals lets him down severally which is vivid especially on 'Ville Mentality'. This might have been remedied by guest features (imagine Anderson .Paak on Foldin' Clothes) or more background vocals. His messages on 'Change' and '4 Your Eyez Only' are more potent due to background vocals by Ari Lennox and Chargaux on the respective tracks.

This album is J. Cole doing 'J. Cole things' which quite fine and real enough and if the retirement yearns on 'Jermaine's Interlude' is true, 4YEO is a pretty good way to exit.

Essentials: 'Change' 'Neighbors' '4 Your Eyez Only'

Rating: 3.5/5

Tracklist

01. For Whom The Bell Tolls
02. Immortal
03. Deja Vu
04. Ville Mentality
05. She's Mine, Pt. 1
06. Change
07. Neighbors
08. Foldin Clothes
09. She's Mine, Pt. 2
10. 4 Your Eyez Only

 Download HERE 

Reviews done by Dennis