In honor of this being my last review of the 2024-2025 school year, I decided now was a perfect time to deep dive into one of my absolute favorite albums of all time. “4 Your Eyez Only.” a masterpiece of a concept album. 

The album came out Dec. 9, 2016, exactly two years after his album “2014 Forest Hills Drive.” which was recently certified as six-times platinum in 2024 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 charts within its first week of being released. Similarly, “4 Your Eyez Only” also topped the Billboard charts upon release and received several award nominations. 

Each track retells the true story of a late, close friend of Cole’s, given the name James McMillan Jr. to keep his identity concealed. The melodies recount the complexities and hardships James endured to turn his life around after becoming a father, shining light on systemic injustices and the harsh reality of fast money. 

As we open with the first track “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” the background instrument heard is a bugle, which is a commonly used instrument for funeral marches, which provides a connection to the eerie feeling of death lurking around every corner for James. It has also been speculated that this track begins with the death of James, and each piece thereafter provides the story of what brought him to his final moments.

There are moments in which the pace of the instrumentals picks up, cementing that feeling of paranoia and fear, as well as minor, detailed sounds, such as the listener being able to hear the faint sound of a tape being placed into a tape recorder at the start of the song. The significance of this comes into play later. 

It is important to note that the way the tracks are ordered on the album does not exactly correlate with the storyline. There are hints and easter eggs within each piece that lead into the next corresponding track, acting as a puzzle to understand the perspective shifts throughout the album. 

Cole is known for his ability to use beats that are very diverse from one another in all his works, so we depart from the jazz sound into the use of trap beats in “Neighbors,” which is the seventh track on the album. There are several meanings behind this song, one being that this reflects James’ involvement with illegal activities at an early age, as well as bringing awareness to the stereotyping one faces, no matter how hard they try to not fall into a system that is set up unfairly against them in the first place. 

When taking the storyline out of it, this song does reflect Cole’s experience, perspective, and fears with law enforcement, which is fueled by the reality of excessive police brutality. The majority of this album was created in a rental house in N.C. within a wealthy suburban neighborhood. 

“One of the neighbors told the police we were growing weed or selling drugs out of this house. And there was a huge investigation, like a million-dollar investigation. They flew helicopters over, sent an entire SWAT team armed with weapons, broke down the door, and searched the whole house,” said Elite, a record producer for Cole, in an interview with Complex.

As we move into the rising events of this story, we are then met with a love interest for James in “Deja Vu.” The sample used for this track is a popular one, as most recognize it as “Exchange” by Bryson Tiller, showing Cole pushing himself more into an R&B genre of sound. 

With this track being the precursor to “She’s Mine Pt. 1,” it is assumed that the love interest we are introduced to is the same woman with whom he had his daughter, Nina, the listeners learn about in “She’s Mine Pt. 2.”

The production of these sister songs does an exquisite job of conveying the depth of love. The violin introduction blending with the sound of the piano is seamless, and almost acts as a weight of relief in this tragic story, adding to the emotional complexity of finding light in the darkest times of one’s life, and how people are more than their hardships, there are several sides.

“He’s a tough guy, a criminal stereotype, except inverted. The people that I know that live that life and come from that life, or even used to live that life, there’s so much more than that. They have multiple sides, and the side that is the strongest is love,” Cole said in an interview with The New York Times. 

With the priority in James’ life being the family he has created, the fourth track acts as a conversation McMillian has with himself, questioning whether he attempts to break the cycle of his current lifestyle, as it is incompatible with his desires for a long-lasting relationship and being a father.

 During breaks within the verse, listeners hear the voice of a young girl explaining how she lost her father due to street violence, mirroring Nina, and foreshadowing events that are later to take place. “Ville Mentality” reflects Cole’s own childhood, as the impact of his own absent father can be felt through the emotional power not only within the beat and background vocals, but the lyrics.

Although not a large standout within the theme of the album, “Foldin’ Clothes” does tie up the ends of the love interest aspect for James. As the tempo is quick and rather upbeat, James is finally introduced to moments of simplicity and aspirations, contrasting with the heavier theme. 

Coming towards the end of the storyline, we are met with the track “Change,” which is arguably the best track on the album. As James now feels to be going through a sense of reform, it is thought that his purpose within this track is to be a messenger, spreading the word of how change is possible. As Cole emphasizes in the lyrics how change starts with oneself.

We go from being in the perspective of James over to Cole towards the end of the song, as it is clear James had been killed at the age of twenty-two, and Cole expresses this event taking place by addressing the desensitization in the quiet eulogy at the end of the track. The speaker we hear begs those in attendance for this deep-seated issue to not be acted upon in vengeance, but for the violent cycle to be broken, as we should not be so desensitized to the deaths of African American men in society. 

The eulogy follows directly into “Immortal,” which is essentially Cole mourning James, and picking apart his misguided beliefs that his hunger and fearlessness in hustling and violence made him untouchable, which ties directly into the final song on the album, “For Your Eyez Only.”

The muted sound of the saxophone articulates that feeling of emptiness, loss, and the aftermath of violence. As the song goes on, we come to find out that the album is the tape McMillan left for Nina, explaining to her the systemic barriers set against him that perpetuated his life of crime, and how his life ending felt almost inevitable. 

This narrative reflects the issues of mass incarceration, as Cole’s narrative and take on the situation steps in, emulating that he is now the one conversing with Nina, and explaining to her that her father was not a man because of how tough, scary and strong he was, but instead the very thing that made him a man was the birth of her, and that fatherhood was his greatest achievement. Implementing how hard James worked to change for the sake of his child.