Eyez

2016 film directed by Scott Lazer

This article is about the 2016 film. For the 2017 documentary, see J. Cole: 4 Your Eyez Only.

Eyez

Directed by| Scott Lazer
Produced by| Jermaine Cole (exec.)
Ibrahim Hamad (exec.)
Adam Roy Rodney (exec.)
Starring| J. Cole
Ibrahim Hamad
Distributed by| Dreamville Films

Release date

* December 2, 2016 (2016-12-02)

Running time

| 40 minutes
Language| English

Eyez is a documentary based on the creation and recording of J. Cole's fourth studio album, 4 Your Eyez Only.[1] 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.[2]

## Premise

[edit]

The documentary was filmed at Electric Lady Studios in New York City over the summer of 2016, where sessions of the album were recorded.[3] The studio was built by Jimi Hendrix before his death in 1970. Throughout the documentary, J. Cole and his team are captured engaging, brainstorming and recording.[4] Sessions in the studio included musicians playing and recording the Hammond organ, trumpet, bass, and background vocals, while Cole lays down main vocal tracks. Cole explained his goals for the album in a scene saying "You get to this level of platform; the next one might go down. You're never guaranteed to be this high again. So while I'm here, let me use this opportunity to say the realest shit I've ever said."[5] Director Scott Lazer spoke in an interview saying the documentary provides a "fly on the wall" experience saying:

> I just pitched to Cole and his manager Ibraham. I said, I’ve been kind of shooting these long shots. Some of the shots I would hold the camera as long as two or three hours you know. [...] The idea was to provide the idea behind the idea. It was coming from me feeling like I was in a very privileged position of getting to watch Cole and these other amazing musicians work, and discuss what they were doing in great detail with a lot of thoughtfulness. It seemed like people would like to have this perspective. And by having those long uninterrupted shots, it created a sort of immersive experience for the viewer.[6]

## Release

[edit]

On December 2, 2016, Cole released the 40-minute documentary, titled Eyez.[7] It was released exclusively on Tidal for three days until December 5, when it was made available on Dreamville's YouTube channel.[8][9] The documentary also features two music videos for the tracks "False Prophets" and "Everybody Dies". Both videos were directed by Lazer who said, "I remember thinking when I was putting this together and I don't know if people beyond Cole's core fan base are really going to enjoy this. I think what the music videos did was give something for people who may not be really into it."[10][6]

## Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the documentary film.[11]

* Roperta Spitz — Editor
* David Torcivia — Colorist
* Elad Marish — Audio mix
* Isaiah Donté Lee — Additional photography

## See also

[edit]

* J. Cole: 4 Your Eyez Only

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Thompson, Desire. "Ahead Of His 'Surprise' Album, J.Cole Drops 'Eyez' Documentary". Vibe. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
2. ^ Kelley, Seth. "J. Cole Releases Surprise Documentary 'Eyez' on Tidal (Watch)". Variety. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
3. ^ Diep, Eric (December 2, 2016). "14 Things We Learned from J. Cole's Eyez Documentary". Complex. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
4. ^ "Here's Everything You Need to Know About J. Cole's '4 Your Eyez Only' Album". XXL. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
5. ^ Reed, Ryan. "Watch J. Cole Write Lyrics, Talk Music Theory in Album Doc 'Eyez'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
6. ^ a b Frydenlund, Zach (December 2, 2016). "The Inside Story of How J. Cole's Eyez Documentary Was Made". Complex. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
7. ^ Bundy, Will (December 2, 2016). "Watch Cole's Surprise-Released Short Documentary Eyez Now". The Fader. Retrieved December 2, 2016.[permanent dead link]
8. ^ Bristout, Ralph (2016-12-02). "J. Cole delivers harsh truth and calls out "False Prophets" in new 'Eyez' preview". REVOLT. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
9. ^ "J. Cole Has Dropped New Documentary 'Eyez' On Tidal". OkayPlayer. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
10. ^ "J. Cole Returns With a 40-Minute Documentary Titled 'Eyez' & Two Videos From His New Album". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
11. ^ Dreamville (December 5, 2016). "Eyez". YouTube. Retrieved July 22, 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* "Eyez" on YouTube

* v
* t
* e

Dreamville Records

Founder(s)|

* J. Cole
* Ibrahim Hamad

Compilations|

* Revenge of the Dreamers
* Revenge of the Dreamers II
* Revenge of the Dreamers III
* D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape

Soundtrack albums|

* Creed III

Songs|

* "Middle Child"
* "Down Bad"
* "Got Me"
* "Costa Rica"
* "Under the Sun"
* "Sacrifices"
* "Stick"

Films|

* J. Cole: Road to Homecoming
* Forest Hills Drive: Homecoming
* Eyez
* J. Cole: 4 Your Eyez Only
* Dreamville Presents: REVENGE
* Applying Pressure: The Off-Season Documentary

Related articles|

* Dreamville Ventures
* Interscope Records

* v
* t
* e

J. Cole

* Discography
* Production discography
* Awards and nominations

Studio albums|

* Cole World: The Sideline Story (2011)
* Born Sinner (2013)
* 2014 Forest Hills Drive (2014)
* 4 Your Eyez Only (2016)
* KOD (2018)
* The Off-Season (2021)

Live albums|

* Forest Hills Drive: Live (2016)

Compilations|

* Revenge of the Dreamers (2014)
* Revenge of the Dreamers II (2015)
* Revenge of the Dreamers III (2019)
* D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape (2022)

Soundtrack albums|

* Creed III: The Soundtrack (2023)

EPs|

* Truly Yours (2013)
* Truly Yours 2 (2013)
* Lewis Street (2020)

Mixtapes|

* The Come Up (2007)
* The Warm Up (2009)
* Friday Night Lights (2010)
* Might Delete Later (2024)

Singles|

* "Lights Please"
* "Who Dat"
* "Work Out"
* "Can't Get Enough"
* "Nobody's Perfect"
* "Miss America"
* "Power Trip"
* "Crooked Smile"
* "Forbidden Fruit"
* "She Knows"
* "Apparently"
* "Wet Dreamz"
* "No Role Modelz"
* "Love Yourz"
* "Everybody Dies"
* "False Prophets"
* "Deja Vu"
* "High for Hours"
* "Neighbors"
* "KOD"
* "ATM"
* "Album of the Year (Freestyle)"
* "Tribe"
* "Off Deez"
* "Middle Child"
* "Shea Butter Baby"
* "Snow on tha Bluff"
* "The Climb Back"
* "Lion King on Ice"
* "Interlude"
* "My Life"
* "The Jackie"
* "Your Heart"
* "London"
* "Procrastination (Broke)"
* "On the Street"
* "The Secret Recipe"
* "H.Y.B."
* "Grippy"
* "Port Antonio"
* "Clouds"

Featured singles|

* "Just Begun"
* "All I Want Is You"
* "A Star Is Born"
* "Feel Love"
* "Trouble"
* "Only Wanna Give It to You"
* "Party (Remix)"
* "I'm On 2.0"
* "This Time"
* "Planez"
* "No Sleeep (Remix)"
* "Pretty Little Fears"
* "A Lot"
* "The London"
* "Down Bad"
* "Poke It Out"
* "Johnny P's Caddy"
* "Scared Money"
* "90 Proof
* "All My Life"
* "There I Go"
* "First Person Shooter"
* "Ruby Rosary"
* "Blow for Blow"

Other songs|

* "In the Morning"
* "Let Nas Down"
* "A Tale of 2 Citiez"
* "Fire Squad"
* "G.O.M.D."
* "Immortal"
* "Change"
* "Photograph"
* "Motiv8"
* "Kevin's Heart"
* "1985"
* "Under the Sun"
* "Sacrifices"
* "95 South"
* "Amari"
* "Pride Is the Devil"
* "Stick"
* "Evil Ways"
* "Pricey"
* "Crocodile Tearz"
* "Ready '24"
* "Huntin' Wabbitz"
* "7 Minute Drill"
* "Red Leather"

As an uncredited vocalist|

* "Mafia"

Concert tours|

* 4 Your Eyez Only World Tour
* The Off-Season Tour

Films|

* J. Cole: Road to Homecoming
* Forest Hills Drive: Homecoming
* Eyez
* J. Cole: 4 Your Eyez Only
* Dreamville Presents: Revenge
* Applying Pressure: The Off-Season Documentary

Related articles|

* Dreamville Records
* Dreamville Ventures
* Roc Nation

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