4:44
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Jay-Z releases a very honest album, which addresses the rumours of his infidelity, becoming a father and his mother finally coming out.
I just got through the entire album, and here are my initial thoughts.
Jay-Z is a storyteller, and 4:44 is exactly what we needed. I appreciated the samples from iconic artists such as Donny Hathaway, Nina Simone and Stevie Wonder, alongside collaborations with Frank Ocean and Damien Marley, and of course Beyoncé.
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The instrumentals are COLD, produced by none other than No I.D (with the help of Jay himself on Moonlight and Family Feud)
“Smile” – a beautiful song which samples Stevie Wonder in the intro and chorus, with words from his mother on the outro. In this song, Jay reveals that his mother is a lesbian in the first verse and that she was unable to come out due to pressure and shaming from society. I’m not sure whether it was intentional, but the album dropping at the end of Pride month is significant and thoughtful.
He reflects on his journey in the second verse, and how his family and friends share his success. He continues onto criticise the lack of support for TIDAL, a subscription-based streaming service he launched with the aim of maximising profit for music artists and songwriters. This album was initially released solely on TIDAL but inevitably it is already available to download from various websites. It’s a platform that aims to empower artists and give them the financial support that their work deserves.
The song ends with these words from Gloria Carter:
Living in the shadow feels like the safe place to be
No harm for them, no harm for me
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But life is short, and it’s time to be free
Love who you love, because life isn’t guaranteed
Smile
I also really enjoyed Kill Jay-Z, Family Feud and Bam. I know a lot of fans are angry at him since he openly addresses his infidelity, but it’s an open and honest body of work and I don’t feel like I need to comment on his marriage with Beyoncé.
It’s not an album full of hits, but I’m sure that not what he was going for. If you think the album didn’t bang, you’ve got to at least have a lot of respect for this man and his ongoing legacy.
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