J. Cole set the internet ablaze on Thursday (Dec. 1) with the surprise pre-order of his upcoming album, 4 Your Eyez Only, hitting iTunes without forewarning. After social media buzzed about the validity of the new project for the better part of the day, the Fayetteville native confirmed the project by releasing an accompanying documentary entitled Eyez on Tidal.

Similar to the release of his last surprise project, Forest Hills Drive, Cole stepped out from the shadows to give a bit of context to 4 Your Eyez Only. Beginning with a session at New York City’s Electric Lady Studios, the 39-minute doc seems to place emphasis on the rapper’s attention to instrumentation on the forthcoming release, as he and his team are seen tweaking the sounds of violins, saxophones and trumpets. Even J. Cole himself is found fiddling around with a bass guitar. A discussion about his creative process makes clear his intentions to speak his truths, as the Dreamville head honcho also notes his “detached” lifestyle makes it difficult to hold on to the sentiments that inspire his music.
“You get to this height or this level of your career in terms of platform, and who’s to say – the next one might go down, could go up,” he said. “You’re never guaranteed to be this high again. So while I’m here, let me use this opportunity to say the realest s**t I have ever said, in case the next time that s**t is down here.”
The Eyez documentary also features two mini videos for tracks titled “Everybody Gotta Die” and “False Prophets.” The former finds Cole repping for his city yet again, taking aim at the rap game while rocking a Fayetteville State University football jersey. The second video, “False Prophets,” reveals that when J. Cole was spotted on a public transportation bus in Queens this year, he was actually filming a video. Sneaky, sneaky.

Ending with a familiar and tranquil scene of J. Cole pedaling off into the streets of NYC on his bicycle, the Eyez documentary serves as the appetizer for the Dec. 9 main course. Peep the full clip on Tidal here, and watch a teaser and the "Everybody Gotta Die" below: