With J. Cole's latest album "4 Your Eyez Only" he tells a story not of his life but of the life of his friend who was murdered and the album name represents that it is a dedication to his friends daughter. The album shows parallels between J. Cole and his friends life and switches from the point of view of the deceased father to the point of J. Cole. The story comes full circle on the last track of the album "4 Your Eyez Only", Cole says 4 lines that bring it all together
"Nah, your daddy was a real n***a Not ‘cause he was hard
Not because he lived a life of crime and sat behind some bars
Not because he screamed, “F**k the law,” although that was true
Your daddy was a real n***a ’cause he loved you For your eyes only".
This set of lines allow for the daughter to understand who her father was because she did not have the chance to grow up with him. But this line has multiple dimensions because not only does it allow her to see who she was but its shows her that he was who he was due to her.
"And my daughter gotta eat, her mama be stressing me
Like i ain't the one who put them jays on her feet
Like I ain't out in the filed like that
I might be low for the moment but i will bounce back".
Due to the drought caused by the police presence in the streets, James comes face to face with the pressure to try and provide for his family. The next two lines he shows how he would put his freedom on the line to provide for his family despite the risk of him going to jail.
''But these felonies be making life the hardest
Resisting the temptation to run up and swipe a wallet
Or run up on your yard, snatch your daughter bike and pawn it
That's why I write this sonnet
If the pressure get too much for me to take and I break
Play this tape for my daughter and let her know my life is on it''
Cole tells us how the father is now trying to make clean money even if it means wiping toilets, the difficulty he faces trying to find employment due to his criminal record puts pressure on him. He has a wife and kid to feed and can’t sacrifice his now precious time waiting on a job to come around. Due to this pressure, he’s asking that if he gives in to the temptation and goes back to making the easy drug money, which he knows will be ensued by his demise. Later in the song it once again goes full circle because at the time the song released, the deceased fathers daughter has now had time to cope with his death, but then again it is revealed that is the father somehow could speak to his daughter he would know exactly how she feels because his father was also murdered.
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