“4 Your Eyez Only” is J.Cole’s latest LP. By far, it is his most personal.  Since its release, it has garnered speculation as to which viewpoint is the album told from. Anthony Parrino—the Co. Executive producer of the album—confirms these theories. In an interview with Complex magazine, the day after the album’s release, he reveals that “The album is largely told from a perspective that isn’t J.Cole’s”.

        So in which angle is it held from? Any indication of a shift in perspective is subtlety hinted on the track “Changes,” the album’s core song.

“We’re gathered here today…To mourn the life of James McMillan Jr. A tragedy, another tragedy in the black community. We got to do better, people. 22 years old, this boy was too young”, said Cole.

        Fiction or not, this “James” appears to be Cole’s slain friend. Subsequently, the album slowly unravels the circumstances and actions that ultimately led to his death. Listeners begin to grasp that J.Cole may as well be retelling James’ life story. Quite like of a memoir. But what is really masterfully done, is the way J.Cole interchangeably intertwines the album’s narrative with his own personal life. In the song, “She’s Mine Pt.1” the listeners examine how falling in love has reshaped these men.

“Yeah, I wanna tell the truth to you/ I wanna talk about my days as a youth to you/ Exposing you to all my demons and the reasons I’m this way/ I would like to paint a picture, but it’ll take more than a day.”

In the album’s narrative, James has presumably fallen in love with someone which in whom he confides with. This past year, J.Cole tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, a college sweetheart which he had known for years. Then, as listeners hear the track “She’s Mine Pt. 2”, we examine how fatherhood has affected them.

“Reminisce when you came out the womb/ Tears of joy I think filled up the room/

You are now the reason that I fight/I ain’t never did nothing this right in my whole life”

For one, the song was made to disclose that J.Cole is rumored to be a father.  As for “James”, his daughter’s birth makes him strive to be a better person, as she is the first time he has done something right.

The track “Neighbors” is a standout track of the record. It sounds like it was a cut from J.Cole’s last LP, “2014 Forest Hills Drive”. It’s also inspired by true events that occurred down in the past March at North Carolina.

“Cops bust in with the army guns/ No evidence of the harm we done/ Just a couple neighbors that assume we slang/ Only time they see us we be on the news, in chains,/ damn.”

When Complex Magazine asked Anthony Parrino about the incident, he states,

“One of the neighbors told the police we were growing weed or selling drugs out of this house. (Cole’s studio). And there was a huge investigation, like a million-dollar investigation. They flew helicopters over, sent an entire SWAT team armed with weapons, broke down the door and searched the whole house. Thankfully nobody was in the house.”

The bottom line, “Eyez” is J.Cole’s most somber and personal work he’s ever comprised. From its gloomy storytelling to the dual narrative, it’s one of the most thought provoking music  released in hip-hop as of this year. However, this will divide the fans. As many were expecting this album to be “hype” as he delivered in his last effort. So far, “Forest Hills Drive” is J.Cole at his prime. Whereas “4 Your Eyez Only” is him at his most reflective. Fans need to realize that “Eyez” wasn’t meant to be hype. It’s not particularly hard, it’s heartfelt.

        “We ain’t even really rapping, we just letting our dead homies tell stories for us,” Tupac Shakur said.