J Cole

4 Your Eyez Only (Dreamville)

Fourth studio album from the North Carolina rapper, 4 Your Eyez Only demonstrates Cole as a rapper with a distinctive and authentic tone. He comes across as down-to-earth and laidback. Deja Vu is an almost peaceful hip-hop experience with stripped and laidback production. Cole follows in the vein of forefront rapper Kendrick Lamar with jazz influences throughout. The dreamy instrumentation on Change and Vile Mentality displays poignant messages on racial tensions. Largely produced by Cole himself, She’s Mine P.1 shows he knows how to slow things down in a way that’s not overtly sentimental. 4 Your Eyez may not come close to having the impact of Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly, but it displays a sound that’s accessible and distinguishing. – Hugh Collins