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The album acts as a loose telling of the life and times of James McMillan Jr, a childhood friend of Cole’s (whose name was changed for privacy), who was shot dead, leaving behind a young daughter and had asked Cole to tell his story in the event he died. Throughout the album, there are fantastic examples of his long lauded lyrical and songwriting prowess, driven by social outrage and emotional investment and pulled together by an often compelling narrative. Sonically, the thick drum lines and rolling hi-hats are a fusion of new and old aesthetics, with Cole putting a foot in each camp a student of old school hip-hop but a product of modern times. The stark graphic storytelling is absorbing, packed with rhetorical questions and social insight and reflection. Above the snarling snaps of “Immortal” this feels very much a reality. Indeed, much of 4 Your Eyez Only feels like Cole’s pitch for spokesman of a generation, the voice of the young, isolated and exasperated.
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This suggests why so many fans have taken to him so keenly, particularly in a genre famed for its larger than life characters and bravado. It presents Jermaine Cole as a humble, grounded man, inquisitive in nature, grateful for his success and invested in making positive change. 4 Your Eyez Only was previewed by a 40-minute documentary, filmed at the Electric Lady Studios in New York during the album recording sessions, which provides some insight into the creative process behind the record.