If the pressure get too much for me to take and I break Or run up on your yard, snatch your daughter bike, and pawn it Resisting the temptation to run up and swipe a wallet I try to find employment even if it’s wiping toiletsīut these felonies be making life the hardest “This is hell and I don’t mean that hyperbolic He knows what he is doing is wrong and doesn't want to end up in jail, but it's the only way the young man knows to make ends meet, much like the themes invoked in “Immortal.”
He has been selling crack as a means to escape poverty, despite the risks. The young man is addressing his daughter, trying to impart whatever wisdom he can should he pass away. The title track is almost nine minutes long and it’s mainly told from the perspective of McMillan, Jr., certain he’s facing death. We've got to come together, this is, this is, beyond words.” We know he's in a better place, But this has got to end, ladies and gentlemen.
Our condolences go to his family, our prayers. A tragedy, another tragedy in the black community. He turns on the morning news and sees that it was McMillan, Jr.Ĭole includes an excerpt from his funeral ceremony. He saw a body on the ground but there was no turning back. Thinkin' 'bout my niggas dead in the dirtĬole frequently uses other perspectives in this album, including that of his late friend James McMillan, Jr., who was killed at 22.Īt the end of “Change,” a song that preaches how the only real change comes from inside, Cole describes a scene where he hears a gunshot and everyone scatters.
In my mind I been cryin', know it's wrong but I'm sellin' “Numb the pain 'cause it's hard for a felon Have you ever seen a motherfucking ribbon in the sky?”Ĭole also highlights that “ Nowadays crime pays like a part time job.” Have you ever seen your brother go to prison as you cry? “Have you ever seen a nigga that was Black on the moon?
On the track “Immortal,” he goes on to beg a series of rhetorical questions. And he’s holding on tight because that feeling can be ruined at any moment by a SWAT team or an unsettling news report. He’s holding on to the present, a state of domestic stillness, because life is extremely fragile. “I never thought I'd see the day I'm drinking almond milk.” This track is followed by “Foldin’ Clothes,” where he offers to fold the laundry for his wife as they avoid the outside world and enjoy Netflix and cereal. Cole is still subject to distrimination and lays awake at night, paranoid living in a white community. He goes on to say that his friends would stand outside and pass cigars filled with weed, enjoying themselves, and the next thing he knows the police are at his door.Ĭole is referring to Treyvon Martin, the 17-year-old who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, the watch captain of his neighborhood in Florida, for looking “suspicious.” Zimmerman was found not guilty and no federal civil rights charges were brought upon him.Įven though he lives in a large, expensive house and has prestigious music awards, J. The SWAT experience is a harsh realization of those dreams, and it is depicted on “Neighbors,” one of the strongest tracks on 4 Your Eyez Only.Ĭole’s lyrics explain that he bought this home with his hard earned fortune and sought out privacy. On his previous album titled after his childhood home, 2014 Forest Hills, he fantasizes about white picket fences and a quiet life. This was J.Cole’s home, which he was using as a creative safe haven. Rather than an illegal marijuana operation, officers found a basement filled with recording equipment. Helicopters circled overhead as armed officers broke down the front door, acting on a tip from a neighbor who thought that the residents were selling drugs. In March of 2016, a SWAT team raided a home in a well-to-do North Carolina suburb. Here are some of the strongest moments on this album: If you are reading this, I hope you feel equally as inclined. It has taken some seriously heinous actions displayed in the media to motivate me to open my eyes and ears to the powerful words of black artists and make me want to do something about it. I am heartbroken as I come to terms with the actions, both intentional and subconscious, of leaders, neighbors, friends, family, and even my own actions. Now I am not just sad - I am heartbroken for the black community. But you know what? I wish I had listened to his words and took them to heart 4 years ago, even if it would have made me sad.