With his level of productivity this year, J. Cole could've been nearing retirement for all we knew. As we should've suspected, though, he's been busy prepping his fourth album, 4 Your Eyez Only. Out of nowhere, the album appeared on iTunes today, with a planned release date of Dec. 9. Just like that, much of the hip-hop world is now in a state of pandemonium -- realizing that one of the world's best is about to drop the follow-up to 2014 Forest Hills Drive, which most consider to be his best work. There is already frenzied speculation around 4 Your Eyez Only, but Cole, much to his credit, has kept almost every detail of the project under wraps.
Will 4 Your Eyes Only be similar in makeup to 2014 FHD and will it achieve similar success of the now-double platinum LP? Judging by the early response, Cole's new album will go platinum -- eventually, at least. But will it do so without any features? Will one of the most overused memes in hip-hop receive an update and achieve another year of virality?
If Cole does drop two featureless classics in a row, it will certainly say something about his prowess as an emcee, but let's remember -- some of his best-ever tracks are, in fact, collaborations. And there's no reason he can't drop a great album that involves his peers. With that being said, should he decide to invite some guests along for his new album, here are the five artists who we think would feature most effectively on 4 Your Eyez Only. Unlike most of the projects that have been dropping lately, it's safe to say we can count out a 21 Savage feature. Or maybe not? Jermaine has always appreciated a good surprise.
Kendrick Lamar
Undoubtedly, this will be the most sought-after potential collaboration to appear on 4 Your Eyez Only. Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole are the two most respected "rapper's rappers" in the game, praised by the OGs and idolized by the newcomers. They have a brief but convincing collaborative history, as Cole produced "HiiiPower" on Kendrick's debut album, Section.80, and then enlisted the TDE rapper to guest on Born Sinner's "Forbidden Fruit" two years later. Last year, they each remixed one of each other's most famous songs for a TDE x Dreamville "Black Friday" special, which really induced hysteria among all of their fans, hoping a joint project between the two adept emcees would serve an antidote to What a Time to Be Alive.
Since those remixes, there hasn't been any further evidence to point toward a joint project, and the announcement of 4 Your Eyez Only should suggest that such a project is a ways away, if it is to ever materialize. In any case, even those who loved 2014 Forest Hills Drive due to the absence of features would welcome a Kendrick verse on 4 Your Eyez Only. The album is expected to have a deep narrative focus, and Kendrick may be the one guy who can take on such a conceptual weight and help enhance Cole's vision.
Andre 3K hasn't released any material of his own in 2016 -- in fact, he's really only done feature spots since the OutKast days. Still, no one was expecting him to be such an active -- and important -- artist this year. The list of projects he's guested on is very impressive: Kanye West's The Life of Pablo, Frank Ocean's Blonde, Travis Scott's Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, Solange's A Seat at the Table, and A Tribe Called Quest's Thank You 4 Your Service... Thank You 4 Your Service. And he's slated for two tracks on Kid Cudi's Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin'. Presuming Cole's album will rank alongside those in terms of quality, a 3 Stacks collab on 4 Your Eyez Only will confirm that the 41-year-old legend is still in top form. And hopefully it'll prompt enough pressure from younger rap fans to encourage Dre to get back on his own shit.
Rapsody
A feature from a female emcee on rap release of this magnitude? Wouldn't that be nice? Kendrick did it on To Pimp a Butterfly when he enlisted Rapsody for "Complexion," and Cole would do well to follow his example, especially as, like him, Rapsody is from a small town from North Carolina and is a member of Roc Nation. She's also is a highly skilled lyricist whose work explores the personal and the sociopolitical while honoring the tradition of classic hip-hop. Head here to download her new EP, Crown, with features from Ab-Soul and Anderson. Paak and production from 9th Wonder. (Matter of fact, those three names would fit nicely in the 4 Your Eyez Only credits, too).
Solange
Due to his place within Roc Nation, and to his friendship with both members of hip-hop's royal couple, Cole could easily grab a feature from either Jay Z or Beyonce. A more unexpected, and perhaps more effective, move would be to team up with another member of the Knowles clan, Solange, who recently released one of the year's best albums with A Seat at the Table. With no features and all raps on his last album, Cole told a story that was personal but perhaps too narrow in its perspective. Solange's singing voice would bring a new sound of black greatness into Cole's world, thus adding a new layer of depth to his storytelling.
Drake
Here's a face that might cause an uproar for those who have been waiting for this album since 2014 Forest Hills Drive. Since that time, they've experienced the release of three Drake projects, each one more popular than the last. Views, though divisive among critics, has been by far the most popular hip-hop album of 2016, and it's likely that 4 Your Eyez Only won't be able to touch those numbers no matter how many features it comes with. Cole is still a commercial giant, but due to his lack of radio-ready singles and collaborations, and to his commitment to a purist's hip-hop vision, many fans have positioned him and Drake at opposite ends of mainstream hip-hop, with Cole being an esteemed torchbearer and Drizzy being, above all, a new sort of pop star.
In late 2010, when Cole recruited Drake for "In the Morning," which would end up on his 2011 debut album, both artists stood as two of the brightest stars in the game, and there was no reason to think that they wouldn't develop an enviable partnership while they rose up the ranks individually. Since then, though, they've worked together just once more, on the "retarded" one-off "Jodeci Freestyle," shared by Drake. Despite the varying paths their careers have taken, however, both artists have remained the closest of friends -- even as the public likes to see them as rivals.
Though Drake and Cole are very different artists, they shouldn't be barred from creating what will be a surefire smash hit -- with perhaps more lyrical depth than Drake's usual chart-toppers. The divide between the two of them is really evidence that the hip-hop community can be hesitant to accept more than one definition of greatness. There have been real tensions between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, but any notion of a heated rivalry between them has, similarly, been mostly manufactured. We should have no trouble enjoying the rare achievements of each of these artists. Maybe that's an idea that will finally sink in if all THREE of them appear on 4 Your Eyez Only.