4 Your Eyez Only

This article is about the 2016 album. For the 2017 documentary, see J. Cole: 4 Your Eyez Only. For other media with the same title, see For Your Eyes Only (disambiguation).
4 Your Eyez Only
Studio album by
J. Cole
ReleasedDecember 9, 2016 (2016-12-09)
Recorded
Studio
Genre
Length44:32
Label
Producer
J. Cole chronology
Forest Hills Drive: Live
(2016) 		4 Your Eyez Only
(2016) 		KOD
(2018)
Singles from 4 Your Eyez Only
  1. "Deja Vu"
    Released: January 10, 2017
  2. "Neighbors"
    Released: April 25, 2017
Vinyl cover

4 Your Eyez Only is the fourth studio album by American rapper J. Cole. It was released on December 9, 2016, by Dreamville Records, Roc Nation and Interscope Records.[5] The album was Cole's first release with Interscope—his previous albums were released by Columbia Records.[6] 4 Your Eyez Only was released exactly two years after Cole's previous studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive.

Most of these recordings took place from 2015 to 2016, while the production on the album was primarily handled by Cole himself, alongside several other record producers such as Vinylz, Boi-1da, Cardiak, Ron Gilmore, Frank Dukes, Chargaux and Elite, among others. The album explores a variety of topics concerning the African American community including mass incarceration, racial discrimination, gang violence and depression. The two-part suite “She’s Mine” dives deeper into Cole’s emotions and provides the album with another perspective: hope. The album also touches on other topics such as love and fatherhood.

The album was supported by two singles: "Deja Vu," and "Neighbors". All 10 songs from 4 Your Eyez Only debuted in the top 40 of the US Billboard Hot 100. Cole achieved twelve simultaneous Hot 100 entries in a single week. Promoting the release, Cole released a one-hour documentary (by the same name) on April 15, 2017, on HBO, featuring music from the album. In June 2017, Cole embarked on the 4 Your Eyez Only World Tour, to promote the album.

4 Your Eyez Only debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 363,000 copies in its first week (492,000 with additional album-equivalent units), earning Cole his fourth consecutive number-one album in the country. It had the third-largest weekly sales for an album in 2016. The album also debuted at number one on Billboard's Canadian Albums Chart. The reception for 4 Your Eyez Only was generally positive, with most critics praising the songwriting, and some calling it Cole's most mature album to date. It appeared on several music publications' year-end lists. On January 12, 2017, 4 Your Eyez Only was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, and was certified Platinum on April 7, 2017.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference IB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dreamville was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Holden, Walter-Warner (January 9, 2017). "The North Carolina rapper moves away from commercial noise to make a conscious album". Blasting News. Archived from the original on February 19, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  4. ^ Taylor, Alec (January 6, 2017). ""4 Your Eyez Only" by J. Cole". Live in Limbo. Archived from the original on February 19, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  5. ^ "4 Your Eyez Only by J. Cole on iTunes". iTunes. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  6. ^ "Interscope Mines a Cole Surprise (Update)". Hits Daily Double. December 2, 2016. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.