By Calder Costantini – Editorial Editor

The 10th anniversary of J. Cole’s “4 Your Eyez Only” is December 9, making it the perfect time to look back on this short but impactful project. J. Cole released his fourth studio album, “4 Your Eyez Only,” on December 9, 2016, a short 44-minute, 10-song project. 4 Your Eyez Only is the first album that came directly after J. Cole’s amazing “2014 Forest Hills Drive,” released in 2014. “4 Your Eyez Only” took a more personal, storytelling approach. Across the 10 tracks, Cole explores themes of family, friendship, violence, loss, and the struggles that come with growing up. While the album doesn’t have the biggest charting songs compared to others he’s released, it still tells a strong story and conveys messages that resonate today. 

The album opens with “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” a vulnerable, haunting two-minute track told from the perspective of James, one of Cole’s closest friends growing up. James is the narrative lens of most of this album, with most songs being told through his perspective, rather than Cole’s. “For Whom The Bell Tolls” acts as an emotional cold open, setting a somber tone for a narrative-driven concept album. The fifth song on the album, “She’s Mine Pt. 1,” is nothing like Cole. Following 4 straight bold, loud, 808-loaded beats, “She’s Mine Pt. 1″ is a slow, minimalist, raw song consisting of Cole explaining his fear and devotion in love. Cole strips away his rap persona and expresses the terrifying beauty of falling in love with his current wife and how it grounds him from his existential dread.

The very next song on the album, named “Change,” is arguably the best J. Cole song of all time, as well as being recognized by many fans as the greatest story in a song ever. “Change” is uplifting yet tragic, with melodic, soulful backup singing by Dreamville’s own Ari Lennox. The song starts by following Cole’s personal transformation amidst systemic violence. The narrative then shifts to the tragic murder of his best friend, James. “Change” is easily one of the most impactful and emotional songs ever created by J. Cole. Another memorable song on this project is Neighbors. The song has a hypnotic, laid-back vibe, with Cole’s rapping taking over most of the song. The core theme is racial profiling; Cole follows a story of moving back home after all the fame, and his neighbors profiling him as a drug dealer just because of the cars he drives and the clothes he wears, which leads to an FBI raid of his studio in Fayetteville, where they found nothing harmful in the home. You can find the video of the FBI raid on YouTube, as Cole presented it at the “4 Your Eyez Only” tour in Oracle Arena in 2016. The final song to go over is “4 Your Eyez Only.” The very last song on the album, also the title track, is the deepest message Cole has ever presented. “4 Your Eyez Only” is a cinematic and heartbreaking eight-minute jazz-hop masterpiece that serves as an audio letter from James to his young daughter, meant for her to hear if he ever passed. The song follows Cole (speaking as James) explaining legacy and systemic entrapment; he explains the traps of poverty, racism, and the streets, ending with a message of pure love. It’s the best song Cole’s ever made: the production, the jazz-hop beat, the powerful story, and everything in between make this a one-of-a-kind track, and it deserves more flowers than it gets today. This song is still relevant in today’s world and could even be truer than ever now; violence and crime are out of control throughout the world, and children are losing parents daily.

Although the album has the most symbolism and one of the most powerful stories in music, there are still many critiques from some fans. The first thing people point out is the over-reliance on singing that Cole does. Since Cole’s album directly before this was “2014 Forest Hills Drive,” fans were expecting the loud, confident, punchline hip-hop style from Cole, although he took the approach of a slow, jazz-hop, melodic style for this experimental project. Another critique is the sleepy pacing. Many people claim the pacing of the album is too slow, and through the middle it can get slow and underdeveloped, leading to critics becoming bored with this project, especially compared to his last album.

Overall, this album is an amazing project with a great storyline and some deep-rooted songs. J. Cole himself called this a concept album, since he was telling most of the album through the eyes of his best friend James. “As 4 Your Eyez Only” is the final song on the album, Cole explains the death of his close friend and reveals the note that James left for his daughter. This is an amazing project out of Cole. Even a decade later, this record still holds weight in today’s world. “4 Your Eyez Only” is the best storytelling album ever created and should be given its flowers.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars