After much anticipation, JAY-Z finally released his 13th studio album, 4:44 on Tidal and Sprint. Fans were treated to the good, the bad and the ugly as the rapper opened up about some of the more personal moments of his life in the years since the release of his last record. From his response to his wife Beyonce's personal Lemonade record to his beef with Kanye West, here are highlights from 4:44.
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4:44
In the title track, Hova came clean about his past infidelity in what is a powerful response to his wife Beyonce's latest album, Lemonade. "I suck at love, I think I need a do-over / I will be emotionally available if I invited you over / I stew over what if you over my s--t?" he rapped. "And if my children knew / I don't even know what I would do / If they ain't look at me the same / I would probably die with all the shame / You did what with who? / What good is a ménage à trois when you have a soulmate? / You risked that for Blue?"
"I harass you out in Paris / Please come back to Rome / You make it home / We talked for hours when you were on tour," the bussiness mogul pleated. "Please pick up the phone, pick up the phone / Said don't embarrass me instead of be mine / That was my proposal for us to go steady / That was your 21st birthday / You mature faster than me / I wasn't ready / So I apologize."
"I apologize to all the woman whom I / Toyed with you emotions because I was emotionless / I apologize 'cuz at your best you are love / And because I fall short of what I say I'm all about/ Your eyes leave with the soul that your body once housed / And you stare blankly into space / Thinking about all the time you wasted in on all the basic s--t so," he noted. "I apologize."
In one of the more powerful moments, the now father-of-twins addressed the Sorry singer’s multiple past miscarriages and puts the blame on his absence. “I apologize, often womanize / Took for my child to be born / See through a woman's eyes / Took for these natural twins to believe in miracles / Took me too long for this song / I don't deserve you," JAY-Z rapped. "So I apologize / I've seen the innocence / Leave your eyes / I still mourn this death," he rapped. "I apologize for all the stillborns / 'Cuz I wasn't pressing / Your body wouldn't accept it." When talking about the inspiration of the track, the rapper admitted that timing was literally everything.
“4:44 is a song that I wrote, and it's the crux of the album, just right in the middle of the album. And I woke up, literally, at 4:44 in the morning, 4:44 a.m., to write this song. So, it became the title of the album and everything," he said to iHeartRadio. "It's the title track because it's such a powerful song, and I just believe one of the best songs I've ever written."
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Legacy
In the opening line of the tenth and final track of the album, JAY-Z and Beyoncé's five-year-old daughter Blue Ivy asks "Daddy, what’s a will?"
When discussing the track with iHeartRadio, the rapper said, "The song is just about what it is; it's like a verbal will, just a song about speaking to my daughter." He went on to rap about leaving his wealth and allowing his oldest daughter to spend it as she pleases.
"She might start an institute / She might put poor kids through school / My stake in Roc Nation should go to you / Leave a piece for your siblings to give to their children too / TIDAL, the champagne, D'USSÉ, I'd like to see / A nice peace-fund ideas from people who look like we / We gon' start a society within a society," he rapped.
"That's major, just like the Negro League. There was a time America wouldn't let us ball / Those times are now back, just now called Afro-tech / Generational wealth, that's the key / My parents ain't have s--t, so that ship started with me / My mom took her money, she bought me bonds / That was the sweetest thing of all time."
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Kill Jay-Z
Not only did the dad-of-three address his infamous elevator brawl with his sister-in-law on the track, he also opened up about his beef with his friend-turned-foe Kanye West.
"I know people backstab you, I feel bad too / But this 'f--k everybody' attitude ain't natural / But you ain't the same, this ain't KumbaYe / But you got hurt because you did cool by 'Ye / You gave him 20 million without blinkin' / He gave you 20 minutes on stage, f-- was he thinkin'?/ 'F--kin' wrong with everybody?' is what you sayin' / But if everybody's crazy, you're the one that's insane."
The line comes after Kim Kardashian's husband ranted about his Watch the Throne partner during a concert in November 2016. Kanye said at the time, "I've been sitting here to give ya'll my truth even at the risk of my own life. Even at the risk of my own success, my own career. I've been sitting here to give ya'll the truth!" adding, "Jay Z, call me, bro! You still ain't calling me. Jay Z, call me…Jay Z, I know you got killers. Please don't send them at my head. Just call me. Talk to me like a man!"
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Roc Nation
Kill Jay-Z
The head of Roc Nation addressed the incident that shook the 2014 Met Gala. In the song, the 47-year-old rapped about the moment he and his sister-in-law, Solange Knowles, got into an altercation in an elevator.
"You egged Solange on / Knowin' all along /All you had to say you was wrong,” JAY-Z rapped. It was reported that the incident took place over an alleged infidelity with designer Rachel Roy.
He continued on the track: "But you gotta do better, boy, you owe it to Blue / You had no father, you had the armor / But you got a daughter, gotta get softer." Before referencing R&B star Eric Benét and Halle Berry’s public divorce, "You almost went Eric Benét / Let the baddest girl in the world get away," before adding, "Never go Eric Benét."
Shortly after catching wind of his name drop, Eric took to his Twitter to respond saying, "Hey yo #Jayz! Just so ya know, I got the baddest girl in the world as my wife....like right now!"
Photo: 2014 X17/The Grosby Group
Moonlight
Although he wasn't there to witness the Academy Awards mistake that saw La La Land originally taking home the Best Picture win, before it was announced that Moonlight was in fact the winner, Jay couldn't help but talk about the infamous moments in a track during which he said, "Really a commentary on the culture and where we’re going."
He rapped, "We stuck in La La Land / Even if we win, we gonna lose," he raps.
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Smile
In one of the lighter tracks, the Brooklyn-born rapper took a moment to turn the attention away from him and praise one of the most important women in his life, his mother, Gloria Carter.
In a sweet moment, Jay rapped about his mother's proud truth. He revealed, "Mama had four kids, but she's a lesbian / had to pretend so long that she's a thespian. Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate / Society shame and the pain was too much to take / Cried tears of joy when you fell in love. Don't matter to me if it's a him or her / I just want to see you smile through all the hate."
Gloria and Stevie Wonder added their voices to the track, which the rapper uses to remind people to smile, no matter what they’re going through.
"Bad times turn to good memories, smile / Even when I'm gone and you remember me, smile / Good times never fade away, smile. Even if I'm not with you here today, smile / Good morn' or evening, friends / Smile / Here's your friendly announcer / Smile."
Discussing the song he said: “There are gonna be bad times, and those bad times can do two things: They can get you in a place where you're stuck in a rut," he told IHeartRadio. "or it can make your future that much better because you've experienced these things."
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