Rank: 4/5
Acclaimed rapper and iconic businessman Jay-Z released his surprise album “4:44” on June 30 to a triumphant response. After a four-year hiatus and the release of Beyonce’s impactful record “Lemonade” last spring, “4:44” was seen as the unknowingly necessary response fans needed. Jay-Z portrays himself as vulnerable yet powerful when touching on sensitive topics like infidelity and race.
“Kill Jay Z” is the potent opening track, with Jay-Z laying out his innermost secrets over an alarming, sampled beat. He raps about himself in the third person, naming his flaws to be as vulnerable and honest as one can be. Jay-Z acknowledges a breadth of important life events, like shooting his own brother on accident in their youth and stabbing a producer back in the ‘90s. He also addresses the hardships of fatherhood, mistakes in his relationships, his ego and his complicated feud with former protege Kanye West.
“The Story of O.J.” samples legendary singer Nina Simone’s “Four Women” while commenting on how black people are viewed in the United States, as Simone did in the original track. The title comes from O.J. Simpson’s infamous comments about how he wasn’t seen as just the color of his skin, to which Jay retorts “OK.”
One of the album’s unexpected surprises, “Smile,” features Jay-Z’s mother coming out as a lesbian, to which Jay welcomes her with open arms over a remixed sample of Stevie Wonder’s “Love’s In Need of Love Today.” This song also states that people should be more supportive of black businesses, slyly referencing his own streaming service giant, Tidal. One of my favorite moments of the album was at the end of this track, when Gloria Carter, Jay’s mother, recites a poem.
The elusive and incredibly talented Frank Ocean sings over a bubbly, island sound on “Caught Their Eyes” that complements Jay’s verses well. The late legend Prince signed a contract giving Tidal exclusive rights to stream his albums. After his passing, his estate butted heads over the rights and legality of his work, which Jay addresses with “You greedy bastards sold tickets to walk through his house/ I’m surprised you ain’t auction off the casket.”
The title track “4:44” opens with a soothing woman’s melody as an introduction to a noteworthy apology. “It took for my child to be born to see through a woman’s eyes,” reflects Jay-Z. Marital issues are clearly addressed on this track, and Jay even comes out and says Beyonce matured faster than him in their relationship and that he believes he doesn’t deserve her. His long list of regrets is powerful, and he admits this is one of the best songs he feels he has ever written, he told iHeartRadio. The title “4:44” originates from Jay writing the song 4:44 a.m. to begin work on the project.
“Family Feud” is an uplifting ode of sorts to internal conflicts not only within the rap community, but throughout generations of black families as well. Jay addressed the infamous “Becky” (mentioned in Beyonce’s “Lemonade”) by stating “Leave me alone,” and seems to blame issues in his life on a lack of positive male role models throughout his adolescence. Beyonce herself brings her harmonious vocals that mix perfectly with the underlying beat.
“Bam,” “Moonlight,” “Marcy Me” and “Legacy” close out the long-awaited comeback album. Competitors, his no-holding-back commentary on culture today, and his legacy he plans to pass on to his kids are the ending themes of an album that’s one of the most important rap albums we’ve seen in a long time. For a wealthy, powerful and veteran rapper like Jay-Z to become introspective, regretful and vulnerable is something we should appreciate and not take for granted, especially when paired with good samples, witty bars and masterful beats. “4:44” is an album that will be on rotation for the foreseeable future.
