J. Cole fans were finally blessed with new music this past Thursday night when Cole dropped his highly anticipated LP, 4 Your Eyez Only. Fans have been (im)patiently waiting for new music from the rapper since the release of 2014 Forest Hills Drive, Cole's third studio album which was highly successful and even went double platinum without any features—sparking a meme sensation that took over social media for pretty much all of 2015. 
With the weight of the success from his last album hovering, Cole had a lot of pressure riding on him to deliver the same amazing content to his fans on this new album. He teased fans by dropping singles such as "False Prophets" and "Everybody Dies", as well as a short documentary, "Eyes".
He has proven time and time again that his greatest power as a rapper is storytelling—and 4 Your Eyez Only surely showcases Cole's superpower. The heartfelt ballads "She's Mine, Pt. 1" and "She's Mine, Pt. 2" are dedicated to his wife and unborn daughter, which Cole has kept quiet from the public until now. And songs like "Immortal" and "Change" speak on Cole's premature notion that material things and success are what really matter in life, but as he has matured he realizes this is not the case. In the outro in "Change" we hear what sounds like a news report in the background talking about a 22 year old man who was gunned down—which then turns into what sounds like a eulogy at a funeral in which a man named James McMillan Jr. is being put to rest. This piece is very subtle, but turns out to play a huge role in the album's story later on.
It is not until the last song, "4 Your Eyez Only," that the story comes full circle and all the pieces are put together. Cole is sending a message to his unborn daughter and is telling the story of his childhood friend who fell victim to the streets and never got to make it out of their hometown. As the song goes on, we realize that Cole is not telling his own daughter the story—rather it is his childhood friend James (who was mentioned in "Change") that is sending a message to his own daughter. He says:
"That's why I write this sonnet
If the pressure get too much for me to take and I break
Play this tape for my daughter and let her know my life is on it"
This last song on the album reveals that Cole has been telling the story of his friend the whole time. Cole has faced many of the same experiences as his childhood friend, however he made it out and was able to find success, while his friend succumbed to the street lifestyle and ultimately died because of it. The powerful last song is being told through James' perspective, as he wants his daughter to know who her father was and understand the experiences of drugs, incarceration and violence that he went through. James wants his daughter to know that he was once a man with dreams and aspirations, but he is quickly falling deeper and deeper into violence. He is ultimately awaiting his own death because he knows it is inevitable. He wants to leave this song as a lesson to his daughter so that she grows up to pursue her dreams and doesn't end up dating a man with the same fate as her father. So that she won't end up having her own son who would inevitably get caught in the same cycle that so many African American males have experienced. He says:
"My worst fear is one day that you come home from school
And see your father face while hearing 'bout tragedy on news
I got the strangest feeling your daddy gonna lose his life soon
And sadly if you're listening now it must mean it's true
But maybe there's a chance that it's not
And this album remains locked
In a hard drive like valuable jewels
And I can teach you this in person
Like I'm teaching you to tie your own shoes
I love you and I hope to God I don't lose you
For your eyes only"
And just like that J. Cole proves once again that he is one of the greatest rappers to come out of this generation. His sincerity and deep passion for the art of music shines through his lyrics and makes people want to listen to what he has to say. Cole is able to tell a story and make you think you know exactly what he's saying, but then completely flips the script and challenges you to think deeper. He puts his heart and soul into every song he creates and though it may take years for his albums to drop, Cole consistently proves that it is well worth the wait.
