The song is almost a timeline of his life, and he ties it together flawlessly. Cole raps about the troubles of his childhood and about how much he loves his daughter. “4 Your Eyez Only” has a great melody, and the rapping is phenomenal. Cole rapping about his life, his family, and his daughter. This song is almost nine minutes long and features J. Lastly, the song “4 Your Eyez Only” is my favorite of the album. This song’s melody is my second favorite of the album. He talks about how his neighbors thought he was selling drugs, which, toward the end of the song, he does admit to doing. “Neighbors” is about how Cole grew up in a neighborhood where everyone suspected him of committing crimes. This unevenness of the tone and vocals pull the song together. It incorporates a smooth sound, and the vocals are faster. Although angry, instead of whining and crying, the singer moves toward his “bigger dreams.” “Deja Vu” is a great song with mixed tones that tells a story well. The song explains how his girlfriend leaves him for other guys. In fact, it’s one of only a couple on the album that convey love. In the album’s overall story, this song deals with anger and love. Usually upbeat songs miss out on this sense of smoothness, but Cole has always done this well. I feel these three are the most important on the album.
“Deja Vu,” “Neighbors,” and “4 Your Eyez Only” are the main songs I am reviewing. Most of the songs are stories, not just upbeat, pointless rap songs. This is a great album, but probably doesn’t live up to the hype. Cole’s album looks back on his tough childhood and an overall rough life through rap and smooth jazz songs. “4 Your Eyez Only” is a good story with even better music.