| J. Cole: 4 Your Eyez Only | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | J. Cole Scott Lazer |
| Starring | J. Cole |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Tim Grant Jermaine Cole (exec.) Ibrahim Hamad (exec.) Adam Roy Rodney (exec.) |
| Cinematography | Isiah Donté Lee |
| Running time | 49 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Release | April 15, 2017 |
J. Cole: 4 Your Eyez Only is a documentary directed by J. Cole and Scott Lazer, and produced by Cole, Tim Grant, Ibrahim Hamad and Adam Roy Rodney. It premiered on April 15, 2017 on HBO. [1]
Incorporating music from the album 4 Your Eyez Only , Cole captured stories of residents in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Atlanta, Georgia, Ferguson, Missouri, his father's hometown, Jonesboro, Arkansas and his hometown, Fayetteville, North Carolina. Entertainment Weekly reported, "The documentary promises to illustrate how their struggles over viable housing, voting laws for felons, integration, and more mirror the frustrations felt across the nation." [2] The documentary included security camera footage of a SWAT raid that took place on March 18, 2016 at Cole's North Carolina home studio, which served as inspiration for the track "Neighbors". [3] Cole also previewed new music in the documentary. [4] Cole spoke about the documentary with The New York Times saying:
I felt like it would be mad powerful for black people to see black people talking to each other. And you see a rapper who’s considered one of the biggest in the game, just listening. These are people that never get to be heard, by the world or even by each other. That lack of representation can lead to potentially catastrophic misunderstandings. [5]
On March 24, 2017 HBO announced their second documentary with Cole titled, J. Cole: 4 Your Eyez Only, following Forest Hills Drive: Homecoming in 2016. he documentary aired April 15, 2017 on HBO and HBO Now. [6] The documentary was exclusively screened at the Troxy in London on April 19, 2017. [7] On May 1, 2017 the film was uploaded on Dreamville's YouTube channel. [8]
Writing for Billboard , J'na Jefferson praised the film saying it "brings black perseverance to the forefront". [9]
| Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|
| NAMIC Vision Awards [10] | Original Movie or Special | Nominated |
Jermaine Lamarr Cole is an American rapper and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained attention as a rapper following the release of his debut mixtape, The Come Up, in early 2007. Intent on further pursuing a musical career, he signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation in 2009 to release two additional mixtapes: The Warm Up (2009) and Friday Night Lights (2010) to further critical acclaim as he garnered a wider following.
Dreamville Records is an American record label founded by American rapper J. Cole and his manager Ibrahim Hamad. The label is currently distributed through Interscope Records, a unit of Universal Music Group. The roster includes Bas, Ari Lennox, Cozz, Omen, Lute, JID, EarthGang, and Cole himself. Dreamville also houses American record producers Elite, Ron Gilmore, and Cedric Brown.
EarthGang is an American hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia, composed of Olu and WowGr8. They are co-founders of the musical collective Spillage Village, with JID, Hollywood JB, JordxnBryant, 6lack, Mereba, and Benji.
2014 Forest Hills Drive is the third studio album by American rapper J. Cole. It was released on December 9, 2014, by ByStorm Entertainment, Columbia Records, Dreamville Records and Roc Nation.
Courtney Shanade Salter, known professionally as Ari Lennox, is an American R&B singer from Washington, D.C. She is the first female artist to be signed to J. Cole's record label, Dreamville Records. She began gaining recognition after the release of her first EP Pho (2016) on the label. That same year, she made an uncredited guest appearance on J. Cole's song "Change". Lennox's debut studio album Shea Butter Baby followed in 2019.
Luther Nicholson, better known by his stage name Lute, is an American rapper. He is signed to J. Cole's Dreamville Records. He released his first mixtape, West1996, on February 22, 2012. His debut album, West1996 pt. 2, was released on September 29, 2017. His second album, Gold Mouf, was released on October 4, 2021.
Forest Hills Drive: Live is the first live album by American hip hop recording artist J. Cole. It was released on January 28, 2016 coinciding with Cole's 31st birthday, and recorded on August 30, 2015 live in Fayetteville, North Carolina. As of February 2024, it was taken off of all streaming sites.
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. The album was Cole's first release with Interscope—his previous albums were released by Columbia Records. 4 Your Eyez Only was released exactly two years after Cole's previous studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive.
"Everybody Dies" is a single by American rapper J. Cole, released on December 5, 2016 along with his single "False Prophets". The two songs were previously previewed on the documentary Eyez.
"Change" is a song by American rapper J. Cole, released on December 9, 2016 from his fourth studio album, 4 Your Eyez Only.
"Neighbors" is a song by American rapper J. Cole, released on December 9, 2016, recorded for his fourth studio album, 4 Your Eyez Only. It was released on April 25, 2017, as the second single off the album.
"Deja Vu" is a song by American rapper J. Cole, released on December 9, 2016 from his fourth studio album, 4 Your Eyez Only. It was released on January 10, 2017, as the first single off the album.
Eyez is a documentary based on the creation and recording of J. Cole's fourth studio album, 4 Your Eyez Only. The film was directed by Scott Lazer, and produced by J. Cole, Ibrahim Hamad and Adam Roy Rodney. It premiered on December 2, 2016 on Tidal.
J. Cole: Road to Homecoming is a 2015 mini-documentary series about American rapper J. Cole. The documentary series provides insight into the 2014 Forest Hills Drive album rollout, documents each act of the Forest Hills Drive Tour, and highlights of the 2015 Dollar & A Dream Tour.
Destin Choice Route, known professionally as JID, is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in Atlanta, he signed with J. Cole's Dreamville Records, an imprint of Interscope Records in 2017. He formed the musical collective Spillage Village with EarthGang in 2010, and later formed the hip hop group, Zoink Gang with Smino, Buddy, and Guapdad 4000. His fluent rapping style and usage of wordplay has been highly acclaimed by several music critics.
4 Your Eyez Only World Tour was a concert tour by American recording artist J. Cole, to support his fourth studio album 4 Your Eyez Only (2016). Dreamville artists J.I.D, Ari Lennox and Lute served as opening acts on the first leg of the tour. Rappers Anderson .Paak and Bas served as opening acts on the second leg of the tour, along with J.I.D and Ari Lennox. Dreamville artists J.I.D., Ari Lennox and EarthGang served as opening acts on the European leg of the tour.
Revenge of the Dreamers III is the third compilation album by American record label Dreamville, released on July 5, 2019, by Dreamville and Interscope Records.
Dreamville Presents: REVENGE is a documentary based on creation and recording of the compilation album Revenge of the Dreamers III. It was released on July 2, 2019 by Dreamville, to YouTube.
Dreamville Ventures is an American multi-disciplinary media company co-founded by J. Cole and Ibrahim "Ib" Hamad in 2020. It is a parent company to Dreamville Studios, which was also launched in 2020.
Applying Pressure: The Off-Season Documentary is a documentary film based on creation of J. Cole's sixth studio album The Off-Season. It was released on May 10, 2021 by Dreamville on YouTube. It was directed by Dreamville Ventures' in-house director Scott Lazer, and produced by Tripp Kramer and David Peters.
