His success, however, may have gone to his head. “2014 Forest Hills Drive” went platinum with no features, placing Cole with some of the greatest rappers and producers in history. Some people may have been disappointed with the vibe of this album, but it definitely isn’t an album meant to be blasted out loud- it’s the type of album you really have to sit down with your earbuds in and listen to.

He’s “never felt so alive.” In “Neighbors,” Cole talks about the time when his neighbors in a wealthy suburb called the cops on him and his recording crew for thinking he was “sellin’ dope,” a result of racism and stereotyping. The important women in his life distract him from the tensions of the world and give him new hope. 2.” Cole deviates slightly from the topic of death and struggle in the album with these two songs- he talks about meeting his wife in the first and then raps about the love he has for his daughter as well as the responsibility that comes with being a new father and taking care of “someone more important than ” in Pt. On a more personal level, he also addresses survivor’s guilt in ‘Change’, along with the joy of having his wife and newly born daughter in his life in “She’s Mine Pt. Being the social raptivist that he is, the lyrics are introspective, and address the heavy issues that those part of the black community face, including police brutality, as well as cultural and structural racism.

The beats and melodies in these tracks are purposefully slow and simple, so that it does not take away from the content of the songs. Some may argue that the album is boring because it lacks the bass-heavy and high-tempo music present throughout his last album “2014 Forest Hills Drive”, but the music is not the main focus of this album the purpose is to tell a story. In my eyes, “4 Your Eyez Only” is a skillfully written, reflective narrative. Listeners had mixed opinions on his latest album, including us. 1 when Cole announced that he would be releasing “4 Your Eyez Only” on Dec. There was talk of an album drop sometime during 2016, but everyone began to think he would wait one more year to release something. J Cole recently dropped one of the most highly anticipated rap albums of the fourth quarter of the year.

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