4 Your Eyez Only: Hype or Hot
By Cal
On December 9, the long-awaited 4 Your Eyez Only by rapper J. Cole dropped. It was dropped exactly two years after Forest Hills Drive, his most recent album. It is J. Cole’s 3rd ever studio-produced album and the hype surrounding it was crazy. I’m here to compare it to his other albums Born Sinner and 2014 Forest Hills Drive and to give my thoughts on whether the hype was deserved. 4 Your Eyez Only touches on many relevant topics such as mass incarceration and drug abuse. He also talks about his daughter, Nina, and what he hopes she will do.
My two favorite songs off of Eyez are “Immortal” and “Neighbors”. Immortal is about how legends live on far after they've died and sometimes even surpass legends that are alive. He references real legends such as Tupac and also fictional ones such as Tony Montana. “Neighbors” is a song about current signifigant issues such as stereotypes and racism.
If I had to put J. Cole’s three studio albums in order of my preference it would go 2014 Forest Hills Drive, 4 Your Eyez Only, then Born Sinner. Eyez has a lot of real meaning in the songs but 2014 Forest Hills Drive was easy to listen to, had that same deep meaning, and a bit of playfulness thrown in there. One thing that Eyez does do really well is it seems like it gives you a real emotional tie to J. Cole himself because you hear him talk about what he went through and what he hopes for the future. 4 Your Eyez Only is a phenomenal album that is definitely worth listening to.
By Cal
On December 9, the long-awaited 4 Your Eyez Only by rapper J. Cole dropped. It was dropped exactly two years after Forest Hills Drive, his most recent album. It is J. Cole’s 3rd ever studio-produced album and the hype surrounding it was crazy. I’m here to compare it to his other albums Born Sinner and 2014 Forest Hills Drive and to give my thoughts on whether the hype was deserved. 4 Your Eyez Only touches on many relevant topics such as mass incarceration and drug abuse. He also talks about his daughter, Nina, and what he hopes she will do.
My two favorite songs off of Eyez are “Immortal” and “Neighbors”. Immortal is about how legends live on far after they've died and sometimes even surpass legends that are alive. He references real legends such as Tupac and also fictional ones such as Tony Montana. “Neighbors” is a song about current signifigant issues such as stereotypes and racism.
If I had to put J. Cole’s three studio albums in order of my preference it would go 2014 Forest Hills Drive, 4 Your Eyez Only, then Born Sinner. Eyez has a lot of real meaning in the songs but 2014 Forest Hills Drive was easy to listen to, had that same deep meaning, and a bit of playfulness thrown in there. One thing that Eyez does do really well is it seems like it gives you a real emotional tie to J. Cole himself because you hear him talk about what he went through and what he hopes for the future. 4 Your Eyez Only is a phenomenal album that is definitely worth listening to.