According to Google, a ballad means “a poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas.” One of a modern day ballad that I first thought of was the album, 4 Your Eyez Only by J. Cole. If take a close listen to the album, you will see that there is an hidden narrative that connects the the album’s tracks together. The center of the album is the murder of J. Cole’s friend, James McMillan Jr., who got caught up in the streets. On the last track on the album also called “4 Your Eyez Only”, sets up the whole theme for the album. The entire album retells the life of McMillan’s life to his daughter, Nina, he had left behind. “Write my story down and if I pass go play it for my daughter when she ready and so I'm leaving you this record for your eyes
