This is what happens when you strip down the ego.
Jay-Z was in a position where, he put his whole lifestyle in jeopardy.
His relationship was almost gone, his dynasty was put to the test, and his partners all turned their backs. He wasn't in a good spot at all. People, his fans, all looked at him differently. When this happened, our man Hov looked at himself differently too. At least, on this album he did.
He had every opportunity to completely ignore it on his next album, and just continue to give us the ol' Hov, a man that stays relatively the same through his hardships. But this time, it was a bit different. It hit him hard where he lived, man. And, it shows on this album, 4:44.
This is the most personal, and stripped down Jay-Z has been in a LONG time. To great effect, of course, before this we had the underwhelming Magna Carta Holy Grail, which for a new Jay album, wasn't really what people were looking for. Sure the single "Holy Grail" was big, and the album had decent production, but Jay was basically being himself, and we have gotten that for years. The lyricisms wasn't really there, neither was interesting songs. I thought it was forgettable, and too braggadocios for it to be anything other than "another Jay album".
IN THE FIRST TRACK ALONE, IN 4:44, we got something more interesting than the entire MCHG album. "Kill Jay Z", is simple, yet sets the tone for the record. We have one producer the whole album, the legendary No I.D., at the helm. And the song itself is great, basically Jay killing his ego for a bit, and works as a good intro to one of my favorite songs on this album.
"The Story of O.J.", basically works as a conscious rap song. Self-conscious of who Jay-Z is, and he knows how a lot of the world sees him, and as an extension, the black community. He uses O.J. as an example, to show how you can be a huge star to the world, football athlete, breaking into movies, charismatic fella, and you can still be demonized. And in the case for OJ, the fact he was black played a huge part in his case, and the current American racial landscape. So the line of him saying "I'm not black, I'm OJ", is almost ridiculous to hear. What this says is, Jay feels no matter how many successful black people there are, you're still... ya know, black. For some people, that's all that matter unfortunately. So, Jay offers pieces of advice (in Jay Z style, of course), like investing, building credit, and claiming the investments he boasts in the song are not brags, but something to strive for. He even admits investments and opportunities where he f*cked up. For Jay, the only way to get up in the world is to know your environment, be self aware, and focus on yourself. More advice, (and slight condescending comments) from good ol' Jigga.
"Smile" is a feel good song for sure. The harmonizing soul vocals and lighter tone is a breath of fresh air from the reality biting and depressive nature. Jay talks about the bad times he had, and how it's made his life better overall. He even talks about his mother being a lesbian. It's a feel good thing, even with sad lyrics, especially when he mentions the prison system in America and how it feeds of the imprisonment of minority men. But f*ck it, smile. Might as well be happy if you only got one life right?
I suppose I should talk about the title track. Oh yes. "4:44". The apology song to Beyonce. And hoooollyy SH*T. Jay was digging deep down into his demons with this one. It's easily one of the best songs he's ever written. He lays down how the infidelity effected him as a man, as a husband, and as a father. He cuts into himself, and let's the pain and guilt bleed all over the song, the soul sample moaning and wailing in the background, Jay going perfectly over it. First he apologizes for putting his ego ahead of her, then for not really being there for her when it counts. He knows the bs adds up, and he apologizes for that as well.
Basically every track here is at least nice, and at most, amazing. "Bam" is a great return to Hov form, the feature from Damien Marley is awesome. "Family Feud" is dope, has a nice Beyonce loop, and makes a nice juxtaposition from "4:44", where the looping has an "agony" feeling, in which this feels like a victory lap, after confronting his demons and mistakes. "Moonlight" made me laugh ("..la la land.."), Jay basically being an old head, but entertains me like Joe Budden entertains me. "Caught Their Eyes" uses Frank Ocean pretty effectively, and "Legacy" is a nice finish as well.
Overall, loved this album. I hope Jay-Z makes more music like this. It honestly feels like a cool, lost album he did for Stones Throw records or something. Hip hop in one of it's purest forms. I'm a fan of this record.
9.5/10
Favorite tracks: "The Story of OJ", "Bam", "4:44", "Kill Jay Z", "Family Feud", and "Smile"
Least Favorite: "Marcy Me" and "Moonlight" gets old after a couple listens.
Jay-Z was in a position where, he put his whole lifestyle in jeopardy.
His relationship was almost gone, his dynasty was put to the test, and his partners all turned their backs. He wasn't in a good spot at all. People, his fans, all looked at him differently. When this happened, our man Hov looked at himself differently too. At least, on this album he did.
He had every opportunity to completely ignore it on his next album, and just continue to give us the ol' Hov, a man that stays relatively the same through his hardships. But this time, it was a bit different. It hit him hard where he lived, man. And, it shows on this album, 4:44.
This is the most personal, and stripped down Jay-Z has been in a LONG time. To great effect, of course, before this we had the underwhelming Magna Carta Holy Grail, which for a new Jay album, wasn't really what people were looking for. Sure the single "Holy Grail" was big, and the album had decent production, but Jay was basically being himself, and we have gotten that for years. The lyricisms wasn't really there, neither was interesting songs. I thought it was forgettable, and too braggadocios for it to be anything other than "another Jay album".
IN THE FIRST TRACK ALONE, IN 4:44, we got something more interesting than the entire MCHG album. "Kill Jay Z", is simple, yet sets the tone for the record. We have one producer the whole album, the legendary No I.D., at the helm. And the song itself is great, basically Jay killing his ego for a bit, and works as a good intro to one of my favorite songs on this album.
"The Story of O.J.", basically works as a conscious rap song. Self-conscious of who Jay-Z is, and he knows how a lot of the world sees him, and as an extension, the black community. He uses O.J. as an example, to show how you can be a huge star to the world, football athlete, breaking into movies, charismatic fella, and you can still be demonized. And in the case for OJ, the fact he was black played a huge part in his case, and the current American racial landscape. So the line of him saying "I'm not black, I'm OJ", is almost ridiculous to hear. What this says is, Jay feels no matter how many successful black people there are, you're still... ya know, black. For some people, that's all that matter unfortunately. So, Jay offers pieces of advice (in Jay Z style, of course), like investing, building credit, and claiming the investments he boasts in the song are not brags, but something to strive for. He even admits investments and opportunities where he f*cked up. For Jay, the only way to get up in the world is to know your environment, be self aware, and focus on yourself. More advice, (and slight condescending comments) from good ol' Jigga.
"Smile" is a feel good song for sure. The harmonizing soul vocals and lighter tone is a breath of fresh air from the reality biting and depressive nature. Jay talks about the bad times he had, and how it's made his life better overall. He even talks about his mother being a lesbian. It's a feel good thing, even with sad lyrics, especially when he mentions the prison system in America and how it feeds of the imprisonment of minority men. But f*ck it, smile. Might as well be happy if you only got one life right?
I suppose I should talk about the title track. Oh yes. "4:44". The apology song to Beyonce. And hoooollyy SH*T. Jay was digging deep down into his demons with this one. It's easily one of the best songs he's ever written. He lays down how the infidelity effected him as a man, as a husband, and as a father. He cuts into himself, and let's the pain and guilt bleed all over the song, the soul sample moaning and wailing in the background, Jay going perfectly over it. First he apologizes for putting his ego ahead of her, then for not really being there for her when it counts. He knows the bs adds up, and he apologizes for that as well.
Basically every track here is at least nice, and at most, amazing. "Bam" is a great return to Hov form, the feature from Damien Marley is awesome. "Family Feud" is dope, has a nice Beyonce loop, and makes a nice juxtaposition from "4:44", where the looping has an "agony" feeling, in which this feels like a victory lap, after confronting his demons and mistakes. "Moonlight" made me laugh ("..la la land.."), Jay basically being an old head, but entertains me like Joe Budden entertains me. "Caught Their Eyes" uses Frank Ocean pretty effectively, and "Legacy" is a nice finish as well.
Overall, loved this album. I hope Jay-Z makes more music like this. It honestly feels like a cool, lost album he did for Stones Throw records or something. Hip hop in one of it's purest forms. I'm a fan of this record.
9.5/10
Favorite tracks: "The Story of OJ", "Bam", "4:44", "Kill Jay Z", "Family Feud", and "Smile"
Least Favorite: "Marcy Me" and "Moonlight" gets old after a couple listens.
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