4 Your Eyez Only By J. Cole
I pray you find a nigga with goals and point of views
Much broader than the corner, if not it’s gon’ corner you
Into a box, where your son don’t even know his pops
And the cyclical nature of doing time continues
In his “4 Your Eyez Only,” J. Cole explains how this song is meant for the daughter of one of his closest friends who passed away. They lived in a poverty-stricken and gang-ridden neighborhood where dealing drugs and getting arrested was not uncommon. Cole released the song when the father died as a message to the daughter to not be like her father, a man who was chased by the cops and bad luck. Cole emphasizes the need of having a significant other who is ambitious to make something of himself, unlike his friend, who always seemed to find himself breaking the law. A powerful lyric, “Much broader than the corner, if not it’s gon’ corner you,” can mean many different things.
On the one hand, it can be a metaphor for the “box” of a jail cell, which he alludes to later in verse. Here he illustrates the fear many suppressed people have of being pigeon-holed into a life or stigma of someone who belongs to the streets. The other route, the lyric, can be symbolized by saying “backed into a corner,” which typically has negative connotations, in this case, a drug corner. Furthermore, Cole uses the term “cyclical nature” of being put in jail, alluding to the increase in the mass incarceration of black men. It is cyclical because once someone is put in prison, chances are high that they are put back. After all, making a life for themselves- finding a good job- is very difficult. This cycle of bad outcomes is a life Cole pleads the daughter evades. The rhythm of this moving rap song is slow, with some jazz notes in the background, which I believe to be suiting given the lyrics of the song. J. Cole, like many who rap for a cause, prefers a downbeat melody to underscore the urgency of his lyrics.
