Jay-Z has released his new album 4:44 exclusively on the Tidal streaming platform as reported by Consequence of Sound. The record was released suddenly at midnight and will be available only on Tidal for the next week before it becomes available on Apple Music.
4:44 is Jay-Z’s first release in four years and features a bevy of guest appearances including Frank Ocean, Damian Marley, Gloria Carter (Jay-Z’s mother), Beyonce, and their daughter Blue Ivey. Produced entirely by No I.D., 4:44 spans 10 tracks and features a dazzling blend of hard hitting beats and superb sampling.
Lyrically speaking the record deals with many personal issues, such as Jay-Z’s alleged infidelity to Beyonce. Specifically he makes reference to the song “Sorry” from Lemonade, which contained the famous line of “Looking at my watch, he shoulda been home / Today I regret the night I put that ring on … He only want me when I’m not there / He better call Becky with the good hair.”
Jay-Z responds on 4:44 with the line “I’ll fuck up a good thing if you let me / Let me alone Becky! / A man who don’t take care of his family can’t be rich.” He also makes references to his mother coming out as a lesbian, and the fiasco Involving Moonlight at the Oscars earlier this year.
Jay-Z has also been teasing a 4:44 movie in recent weeks, staring the likes of Mahershala Ali, Lupita Nyong’o, and Danny Glover. In recent months Jay-Z has signed a record breaking deal with Live Nation and has moved all of his recorded output to the Tidal streaming service.
4:44 tracklist
1. Kill Jay Z
2. The Story of O.J.
3. Smile
4. Caught Their Eyes
5. 4.:44
6. Family Feud
7. Bam
8. Moonlight
9. Marcy Me
10. Legacy
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