Since the release, Cole has been quiet as usual. Cole,вЂќ producer Elite sums up to Complex while photographer and director Anthony Supreme has another notion, telling Genius, вЂњCole speaking to the youth - this is for your eyes only - for the black youth, and how we all are kids at some point and we really donвЂ™t know nothing about the reality that we live in.вЂќ Amid the cryptic verses and nuances, only one man knows for sure. вЂњThe album is largely from a perspective that is not J. ColeвЂ™s closest collaborators and friends have their own theories. The HBO documentary, 2014 Forest Hills Drive: Homecoming, marked his physical and symbolic return to his roots.ДЄrt can be interpreted any number of ways and thereвЂ™s no dearth of decoding by fans and critics of ColeвЂ™s 10-track set. And I didnвЂ™t go to his funeral - and sometimes when IвЂ™m in my room, I get mad at my momma when she mean to me.вЂќ Growing up in a single parent home, Cole initially struggled with his small-town mentality. вЂњMy dad, he died - he got shot cause his friend set him up. вЂњI dedicate these words to you and all the other children/Affected by the mass incarceration in this nation,вЂќ Cole raps on вЂњ4 Your Eyez Only.вЂќ вЂњVille Mentality,вЂќ an ode to his hometown Fayetteville, N.C., features an interlude of a young girl speaking about the effects of violence and growing up fatherless. McMillan serves as a metaphor for death within the larger black community as well. Cole's '4 Your Eyez Only' Aiming for Half-Million-Plus No. вЂњI love you and I hope to God I donвЂ™t lose you.вЂќ

On the closing (and title) track, вЂњ4 Your Eyez Only,вЂќ Cole shifts from joy to advice, telling his newborn daughter, вЂњI pray you find a n-a with goals and point of views.вЂќ Still, death is heavy on his mind. In fact, many fans found out about the rapperвЂ™s newborn daughter through the track. The song has the sound of an infant crying interspersed throughout. вЂњReminisce when you came out the womb/Tears of joy I think filled up the room/You are now the reason that I fight,вЂќ he says.

2вЂќ is about another type of love, between the rapper and his first child. After all, just two years ago, he was haranguing (yet enjoying) promiscuous video vixens and groupies on вЂњNo Role Modelz.вЂќ вЂњI never thought IвЂ™d see the day IвЂ™m drinking almond milk,вЂќ he laughs now, while in the same breath admitting, вЂњYou soft!вЂќ But like most 31-year-olds, heвЂ™s not fully converted to being a soccer dad. He now enjoys doing mundane, domestic chores like folding laundry, watching Netflix and eating Raisin Bran. Following his 2015 marriage to longtime girlfriend Melissa, Cole gives us a peek into his domestic life. This dovetails into the standout track вЂњFoldin Clothes.вЂќ вЂњI wanna fold clothes for you/I wanna make you feel good,вЂќ he says. вЂњI never felt so alive,вЂќ he hums, his voice cracking with feeling. 1вЂќ has the rapper gushing about a romantic love. While most celebrities clamor to social media or glossy covers to share significant personal milestones, Cole only drops sonic hints of his maturation and vulnerability.

Cole for '4 Your Eyez Only' Album Artwork Photographer Anthony Supreme Talks Working With J. вЂњTo die a young legend or live a long life unfulfilled?вЂќ he wails on вЂњImmortal.вЂќ вЂњCause they only feel you after you gone, or IвЂ™ve been told/And now IвЂ™m caught between beinвЂ™ heard and gettinвЂ™ old/Damn, death creepinвЂ™ in my thoughts lately.вЂќ вЂњIвЂ™m searching and praying and hoping for something I know IвЂ™m gonna see itвЂ¦ Lord.вЂќ Despite critical and commercial acclaim, he grapples with his mortality and what heвЂ™ll leave behind. The rapper is self-reflective, digging into his headspace. вЂњI see the rain powering down, before my very eyes,вЂќ he moans against a jazz-tinged background on the title track. Sonically minimalistic, he forgoes catchy hooks and big features for a stripped-down, lyrically-focused album that delves into entangled and complex emotions about life, death and legacy.Д¤ Your Eyez Only is a personal conversation, first and foremost, with Cole himself. вЂњFor Whom The Bell TollsвЂќ opens the rapperвЂ™s most melancholy and introspective effort to date. John DonneвЂ™s quote about the interconnectedness of humanity - in life and death - is omnipresent on J.

вЂњAny manвЂ™s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls it tolls for thee.вЂќ

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