“4 Your Eyez Only” by J. Cole: A storytelling masterpiece

Certain things hold value in people’s lives. Some people find books, jewelry, TV shows, and other things to be valuable like gold. For me, it is an album. This album is something that has influenced a very big part of my identity and holds a lot of weight for me because the time I found out about it, it became the most helpful thing in my life.

“4 Your Eyez Only” by J. Cole is an album that I’ve heard many times over. This album has influenced me to become a writer thanks to its storytelling and the emotional power it packs. J. Cole’s words resonated with me although we don’t necessarily relate. The double entendres and the meaning behind certain bars express the deep story of the album.

This album shows J. Cole’s growth as an artist from his previous albums like “Cole World: The Sideline Story” and “The Warm Up.” It’s like meeting a new rapper altogether, the diversity in music style shown in this album compared to the others is evident. It shows a person that went from wanting to make it out and willing to do anything for it to someone who fears losing his family and wants to protect what’s dear to him. 

The album starts off telling stories about the present time of someone who is scared to lose their loved ones and stories reminiscent of their past as someone who used to commit crimes, sell drugs, and run around wild in the city with his friends. The songs reference the tumultuous past of someone who is trying to change their ways but that same past keeps haunting them. That fear of responsibility and having someone to look out for is racking up. This is seen in lyrics like “The bells getting loud, ain’t nowhere to hide. Got nowhere to go, put away my pride. Tired of feeling low even when I’m high. Ain’t no way to live, do I wanna die? I don’t know, I don’t know.” Throughout the album, there’s an overarching story that shows the understanding that Cole has of struggle, battles with the past, intrusive thoughts, and the search for change.

The middle section of the album covers more of the mentality change this person is facing. He finally has something to finally love: a daughter. He talks about the wrongdoing of his past and all of the messy things that happened to or because of him. This guy thinks he doesn’t deserve the gift of love because of the constant reminder of how terrible he was in his past. He understands that this is now his responsibility and that he has to finally grow out of his former persona. Cole’s usage of words and references to popular figures and other of his songs is a trademark shown in his pentalogy made up of “The Come Up,” “The Warm Up,” “The Sideline Story,” the “Off-Season,” and the “Fall Off.” Cole throughout this section of the album makes the listener relate to the feeling of love and the responsibility of taking care of someone, something I comprehend and hold dearly. Cole’s lyrics show that the character at hand is in tune with his emotions and is able to express a message others can relate to. One of the best lines from this section comes from one of– in my opinion, most underrated songs, “Change.” “Yeah, my chosen religion: Jesus piece frozen from sinnin’. Doin’ dirt hoping to God He know my intentions. To see a million ‘fore I see a casket. I got a baby on the way know he gon’ be a bastard.” This bar bridges the album together because it touches all the main points of the album: the past, the change in heart, and the baby that’s soon to be. All of these points would’ve made this part of the album the best one if it wasn’t for the masterful ending.

The last three songs of the album hold the most meaning of the whole repertory. J. Cole’s delivery in the last section of the love behind the story of fear in this album is by far one of his best. The album tells you at the beginning and the middle section that there is a fear of death, and this section shows that fear coming to fruition. The last section starts off by showing the person actually changing and wanting to do good by their partner and their daughter; by this time he seems to be addressing all of the responsibilities and new feelings he has in this newfound life.

But soon after, his life is at risk. He “saw death around the corner,” and that fear became reality at the worst time. He tried running from it but it caught up, he knows he will die but has one last message. He calls his best friend and in between anxiety and fear tells him, “Listen, I got no time to dive into descriptions. But I’ve been having premonitions, just call it visions from the other side. I got a feeling I won’t see tomorrow like the time I’m living on is borrowed. With that said the only thing I’m proud to say I was a father. Write my story down and if I pass go play it for my daughter when she ready And so I’m leaving you this record for your eyes only, don’t you ever scratch or disrespect it.” 

This song is called “4 Your Eyez Only,” the best song on the album. This song is a message to his daughter that he left behind with Cole to deliver. This song is powerful and brings out some of the best storytelling I’ve ever heard in a song. This last song shocked me because I didn’t expect the change to come crashing down because of the past that seemed long lost. The song, the message, the letter to his daughter, all of these things are tied together in a way where the album feels like it has a purpose: to deliver a story.

The last bar says all that needs to be said about this album: “Girl your daddy was a real n****, not ‘cos he was cold. Not because he was the first to get some p****, twelve years old. Not because he used to come through in the Caddy on some vogues. Not because he went from bagging up them grams to serving O’s. Nah your daddy was a real n****, not ‘cos he was hard. Not because he lived a life of crime and sat behind some bars. Not because he screamed f*** the law, although that was true. Your daddy was a real n**** ‘cuz he loved you’ For your eyes only.” 

This album has been my favorite for years and it’ll continue to be for years to come. I’m a big fan of storytelling and this album delivers everything I need. The album inspired me to write and I’ve been doing it since this album dropped. All of the stories I’ve written have drawn inspiration from this album. 

In my book, thanks to the storytelling, overarching theme, love story, and memories of the past, this album is a 10 out of 10.