J. Cole, “4 Your Eyez Only”

Supposedly, the longer J. Cole’s hair grows, the better his music. The theory holds on “4 Your Eyez Only,” the rapper’s best yet. Its cover has him giving the cold shoulder under a mop of dreads. If he’s distant, it’s from perspective gained. “Change” has him straddling the violent present, looking back and forward to “better days.” The indelible “Foldin Clothes” cuts romance down to its most mature essence — “I wanna fold clothes for you!” — and comes out panting. Cole for Christmas is finally a good thing. — Dylan Owens