“Moonlight” weighs in with it’s ominous melody and snubbing detail of the redundancy in popular rap of the day (We stuck in La La Land / Even when we win, we gon’ lose/ We got the same fuckin’ flows/ I don’t know who is who), while “Marcy Me” is a quintessential showing of brilliant wordplay reminiscent of why we fell in love with Jay in the first place (Y’all flirtin’ with death, I be winkin’ through the scope). Every word is primly placed – even celebrating his “pregnant pauses” and relishing in the unrushed pace from beginning to end. He stays on top of even the most up to date references in what is either last minute recording or a gift to tell the immediate future (Al Sharpton in the mirror takin’ selfies/ How is him or Pill Cosby s’posed to help me?) The pairing of his lyrics over the soulful stirrings of No ID feel like a perfect fit, full of space not intended to be crammed with syllables or wasted with meaningless panderings. We’re looking at quintessential Jay-Z putting every issue to rest, from the ominous ‘Becky’ (Family Feud) to his propensity to skip leg day (Bam, feat Damian Marley) – so yes, Jigga is reading the memes and following the trending topics so it seems. Never one to shy from the often lurid details of his life, Jay is in some of his finest form here, introspective, poignant and big-picture oriented, as the title track is a full fledged letter of apology to Beyonce and his children regarding his infidelity, shortcomings at love (I suck at love/ I think I need a do-over) and ultimately the impact that a man has on his family, in what is by many considered to be in response to the Queen’s 2016 Lemonade release. What doesn’t fall under the “how to become a millionaire” train of thought on 4:44 is dedicated towards his family. Financial independence and legacy building are huge topics throughout the project, flowing more like a living will and testament than a checklist of belongings. While some of the references found through the album are totally relatable only to certain financial tiers of accomplishment (lamenting over not purchasing real estate or the excitement of passing multi-million dollar artwork to your children, for example), what is being heard is less of a brag and more of a primer for preparing to do what’s needed to do the same thing. Take your drug money and buy the neighborhood I told him, “Please don’t die over the neighborhood Jay willfully (maybe finally) takes on the role of elder statesman with suggestions as well as references to crack dealing glory, as seen in “The Story of O.J.”: Jay’s exploration goes well beyond looking in the mirror, throughout the album looking at the issues of infidelity and miscarriages with his wife, Beyonce, strained relationships with former friend and collaborator Kanye West, the fickleness of the music industry, fans and the old regime of black leadership. You got high on the life, that shit drugged you You got people you love you sold drugs to To all the youth that fell in love with Jay Z What’s up, Jay Z? You know you owe the truth Carter wastes no time unraveling himself, as the first song “Kill Jay-Z” immediately begins to examine the contradictions of his past sins and present responsibilities: Produced entirely by sonic mastermind, No ID (along with several co-producer credits to Jay himself) Mr. Branded as an exclusive Sprint-Tidal partnered release, 4:44 proves to be perhaps the most vulnerable, honest, pro-black and vivid we have seen the lauded Brooklyn MC throughout his 20+ year career. “4:44”, Jay-Z’s 13 th studio album, delves into a heartfelt realm of virtually uncharted territory, spilling equal proportions of gems and beans to initiate generations worth of healing in the past and future.
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