Hip Hop Chit Chat: J. Cole - 4 Your Eyez Only (Review)

4 Your Eyez Only

1. For Whom The Bell Tolls, Cole opened this album with some heat. Simple but nice beat, like always. A melodic flow and some deep lyrics. Im sure this song goes along with the story of the whole album, so I'm guessing he's rapping from his dead homies perspective. Or he's just saying he see's his career coming to an end soon and speaking of death and depression. This song is deep. Great opening track for the album.

2. Immortal, damnnn when i heard this shit i was bobbin my head fr haha. The beat on this shit goes mad hard. He starts out killing it already, crazy flow. I think this is the song that starts that story from his dead homies point of view. Because he's talking about a whole bunch of drug shit and that's not Cole haha. The outro on this is dope asf. This song is a banger and it definitely goes along with the albums big story.

3. Deja vu, this is basically just a Bryson tiller remix lmao. I still fuck with this though. The beat is dope, Cole came with a dope flow and some nice lyrics, dope track but not my favorite.

4. Ville Mentality, A simple smooth beat, the hook is really dope, saying he doesn't know how long he can survive with the mentality he has. Im assuming this one is in the perspective if his dead homie because he has vocals if a young girl talking about her dead father. This track is amazing in my opinion.

5. She's mine pt 1, another simple beat, with nice lyrics. The first positive track out of a mostly death filled album so far. I'm feeling this track, it's short but shows that even though either Cole or his dead friend found a girl that understands him and what he's going through.

6. Change, I'm not to sure i like the beat on this track that much. Its not bad, the lyrics on this are nice though. Coles talking about knowing there will be better days. The second verse is definitely supposed to be from his dead homies perspective because he's talking about how he got shot at and should be dead but he has an angel watching over him so he's still living. The fourth verse is crazy because Cole talks about the death of his friend whose perspective he raps from a lot in this album. Crazy dope song.

7. Neighbors, i guess the neighbors think I'm sellin dope! Haha. The beat on this one is fire, the hook is dope, Cole is talking about how he still deals with racial stereotypes (his neighbors think he's selling dope because he's black and successful). He opens up the first verse talking about meeting the president and being there for the sole purpose of talking about crime in the hood and ways to fix it and his dead homie. The second verse opens up with Cole talking about how you can't escape racism and how most black people aren't even safe from the people sworn to protect them and that it doesn't matter that he met the president or that he's successful he could still end up a victim of police brutality and racism. This song is one of my favorite on the album.

8. Foldin Clothes, this song is talking about how he wants to help his girl out and do things for her cuz the baby is going to be born soon. The beat on this is pretty nice, some guitar, decent drums. The bridge with him singing is dope. The outro is real as fuck, talking about being in the hood and having to act tough cuz if you let your guard down you'll look weak.

9. She's mine pt2, the baby is being born. Again a simple but very soothing beat. The first verse he starts teaching his daughter to not be materialistic. He ends the verse by saying he's never done anything this right his whole life. The bridge is him questioning wether he is worthy of being a father or not. Then towards the end of the song he says he doesn't want to die making this tie into the story if his friend who died. This song is really really deep. Cole is excited bur scared to be having a baby. This song is beautiful.

10. 4 your eyez only, the final track has a simple beat, with amazing lyrics. This is definitely in the point of view of Coles dead friend. He talks about not seeing his self as anything more than a criminal, not being able to get a job because of felonies and then at the end of the first verse he tells Cole to play his daughter the album and let her know his life is on it. The second verse comes in with Cole (in the perspective of his dead homie) saying if the daughter is hearing the track then that means he's dead. It gets deep, about how he never wants his daughter to be with someone like him, knowing he was going to die, seeing his family use drugs when he was young, coming up with his daughters name and a whole bunch of other things you'll have to listen to hear. Verse 3 starts with him asking how he died and listing ways it could've happened I'm not gonna spoil the whole thing ill let y'all listen haha. But the last verse, Cole comes in, talking to his friends daughter explaining how the conversation with her dad went down when he was telling Cole to show this to his daughter when he died. Im done spoiling the song though. This shit is something you have to listen to, it is an absolutely beautiful song and makes this whole album tie together.

I have to say, my first few listens i didn't really like this album. But after learning the concept behind it, and re listening a few times i an beginning to love almost every song. On a few songs the beats are very underwhelming. On some songs the beats are perfect. The concept of this album makes this a very beautiful body of work, a classic. This is something not many artists today can do and something a lot of mainstream hip-hop fans wont be able to grasp or get into. I know everyone on here respects and loves real hip-hop and everyone loves a great album with a nice concept so I really recommend that everybody checks this album out. This has to be Coles best work so far.

If any of you have heard the album, what did you think of it? Wether you love it or hate it let me know and tell me why!

If you guys want more reviews drop titles of albums you'd like to see me review!


Edited by H4ZE - 17 December 2016 at 6:54pm

https://youtu.be/8ih-NHLAbi0


IMMORTAL ft Jigga haha damn