“If I wasn’t a superhero in your face/My heart breaks for the day I have to explain my mistakes, and the mask goes away.” That’s just a few verses from Jay-Z’s new song, 4:44, from his latest hit album of the same name. This album tackles Jay-Z’s mistakes in life, his regrets, how he tries to make everything right, and what he chooses to leave behind.
4:44 is Jay-Z’s diary put into song, and like his wife Beyonce’s album, Lemonade, the album revealed to the public the rapper’s private life and personal emotions, allowing the fans to tap into his most inner being, all the while remaining entertaining and relatable to those who can learn from his mistakes.
Leaving behind his legacy is what this album is all about. In the song The Story of O.J., Jay-Z makes remarks on the famous and wealthy black men of our past and their down falls due to forgetting where they come from. He mentions how he plans for the future for his family: he buys expensive art he will later resell for double the price and although his actions may seem “bourgeoisie,” in the end he’s doing all of this for his empire to not fall like all the rest.
Besides the economic principles of Jay-Z’s album, whilst listening one cannot drown out the most controversial aspect of the album: his eloquently worded apology he gave to his wife Beyonce as he confirms his infidelity. With this songs, Jay-Z broke down the almost impenetrable walls of black men everywhere by owning up to wrongdoings, making no excuses, and instead vows change his ways.
“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.” Jay-Z is finally maturing into a man worthy enough to be married to Queen B. The rapper himself knows that he can’t take back what he has done and one day his children will soon know the truth of their parent’s marriage. Nevertheless, he would want them to know the truth as well his fans.
Speaking of fans, Jay-Z fanatics are impressed with the rapper’s honesty and claiming that meanwhile Beyonce’s Lemonade brought the tea, Jay-Z’s 4:44 broke the whole pot. The public has been inspired by the dynamic musical duo and the ability for them to be honest about their lives, and teach valuable lessons to us all in the process of making music that we can enjoy.
Although Jay-Z’s fans love the new album, they can’t stand the fact that it was first debuted through Tidal, an online streaming music service that charges subscribers $9.99. However, the cost does not matter as only pre-existing members were able to have access to the album. Not only that, but you also have to be under Sprint network. This enraged desperate fans as they yearned to hear all of the juicy gossip Jay-Z has blessed upon his album.
Luckily, the album is now available on various streaming services like Apple Music, Amazon, and Youtube, but surprisingly Spotify has yet to add itself onto that list. It has yet to be known why this is, but industry experts suggests that it’s due to the ongoing feud between Jay-Z and the rival music streamer.
This altercation has yet to put a damper on Jay-Z’s 4:44 as the album went platinum within its first week.
