4:44 is the thirteenth studio album by American rapperJay-Z, released on June 30, 2017, throughRoc Nation as an exclusive toSprint andTidal customers. The album was the first in a planned series of music exclusives from the Sprint–Tidal partnership, which never came to fruition due toSprint's demise in 2020. On July 2, the album was made available for freedigital download on Tidal's site for a limited time. A physical edition was released on July 7, including three additional tracks. On the same day, the album was made available to other streaming platforms, such asApple Music,Google Play Music andAmazon Music.
Like Jay-Z's previous album,Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013),4:44 was not preceded by any singles. The album was recorded from December 2016 to June 2017, and produced byNo I.D., with additional contributions by Jay-Z himself.James Blake andDominic Maker also contributed production to the album's bonus tracks. It features guest appearances fromFrank Ocean,Damian Marley, Jay-Z's wifeBeyoncé, and his mother, Gloria Carter. It also has additional vocal contributions from his daughterBlue Ivy Carter,James Fauntleroy,Kim Burrell andThe-Dream.
In June 2017,4:44 posters in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami, as well as internetbanner ads, teased the release of the album.[5][6][7] A one-minute teaser ad was aired during theNBA Finals on June 7 featuring actorsMahershala Ali,Lupita Nyong'o, andDanny Glover, ending with "4:44 – 6.30.17, Exclusively on Tidal".[8]
On June 18,Father's Day, a clip titled "Adnis" was posted onSprint'sYouTube page.[9] Adnis was Jay-Z's father's name.[10] A second teaser trailer was released on June 27 titled "Kill Jay Z", which featured a young man with a "Stay Black" T-shirt.[11] A third teaser followed on June 28 titled "ManyFacedGod", featuring Lupita Nyong'o crying "hysterically" on the floor.[11]
No I.D. says Jay-Z approached him about working together, and initially declined.[12] He cited feeling "uninspired" and "didn't think [he] had anything at the time". However, he researchedQuincy Jones as inspiration to begin work with Jay-Z. No I.D. states he "began to play the samples like I would play an instrument." To get inspiration for4:44, No I.D. pointed to albums such asWhat's Going On byMarvin Gaye,Confessions byUsher,The Blueprint by Jay-Z,Illmatic byNas, andMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy byKanye West, saying he "analyzed the mistakes and tried not to make those mistakes."[12]
The album was largely recorded in No I.D.'s home studio inHollywood.[13] Its recording began in late December 2016, according to No I.D.[13] It was finished shortly before the album's release.[14] "4:44" was written when Jay-Z woke up one morning at 4:44 am,[15] and recorded at his house using Beyoncé's microphone.[12]
A 24-second sample of "4:44" that illustrates the soulful production from No I.D. and Jay-Z's rapping about his past regrets and mistakes ofinfidelity, being common characteristics of the album.
Elia Leight ofRolling Stone notes4:44 is "sample-heavy at a time when so much of rap has moved away from that sound".[12] Jay-Z and No I.D. created a playlist based on Jay-Z's taste, and sampled some songs of it in the album.[24][13] Later, Jay-Z posted the playlist, titled4:44 Inspired By, on Tidal.[25]
On the album, Jay-Z touches on a wide array of topics, such as theongoinghip hop culture, his family life, his relationships,stereotypes andracism.[26][27][28] Many critics have noted that4:44 is a response toLemonade, with Jay-Z referencing lines from the album.[29][30][31] For example, the "You better call Becky with the good hair" line on Beyoncé's "Sorry", with Jay-Z retorting, "Leave me alone, Becky" in "Family Feud".[32][33][34] However, No I.D. said that to make the entire album a response toLemonade was not the intention. Instead, Jay-Z wanted to focus on an album "where I talk about the things that I've never talked about".[35]
"Kill Jay Z" is about "killing" hisego Jay Z (without hyphen), featured in his previous albumMagna Carta Holy Grail.[28] The song references his friendship withKanye West,[36][37] as well as an incident in which he shot his brother. He also references his rumored extramarital relationships.[28] "The Story of O.J." references racism, stereotypes and the experience of being ablack person in America.[38] "Smile" discusses his mother being a lesbian,[15][39][40] while featuring a poem from her. "Caught Their Eyes" referencesPrince; before his death, Prince befriended Jay-Z, giving exclusive streaming rights for his catalog to Tidal.[28] "4:44", the album's title track, is "one long, tearful, soul-ripped-open apology" dedicated to Beyoncé.[15]
"Family Feud" is about a "separation within the culture" and "tensions in the black community and at home".[28] The track also references his infidelity.[34] The "reggae-tinged" song "Bam" featuresDamian Marley's vocals, with a four-piecehorn section and guitar.[28] Jay-Z said about the track: "it's just jammin', it's just like the song. But it's secretly Shawn Carter saying, 'Man, you need a bit of ego.'"[41] "Moonlight" references two films nominated to the2017Oscars forBest Picture,Moonlight andLa La Land, as a "commentary on the culture and where we're going".[28]
Jay-Z held listening parties for the album at participating Sprint stores on June 29, 2017.[42]4:44 was released as an exclusive toTidal andSprint subscribers on June 30, the first in a planned series of music exclusives from the Sprint–Tidal partnership.[43][44] Through aniHeartRadio and Roc Nation partnership,4:44 was played on a loop on various rap stations until July 1.[35] Jay-Z provided song commentary via iHeartRadio upon the album's release.[45] On July 7, a physical version of the album featuring three additional tracks was released,[12][46] and the album was made available to other streaming platforms, such asApple Music,Google Play Music andAmazon Music.[47]
Music videos were released for every song on the album except "Caught Their Eyes". An animated music video for "The Story of O.J." was uploaded on Tidal soon after the album's release.[48] The video was directed byMark Romanek and Jay-Z and shows a character named Jaybo, based onThe Story of Little Black Sambo.[49] This was followed weekly by "4:44" directed by TNEG,[50] "Bam" directed by Rohan Blair-Mangat,[51] "Kill Jay Z" directed by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz,[52] "Adnis" directed by Romanek,[53] "Moonlight" directed byAlan Yang,[54] and "ManyFacedGod" directed byFrancesco Carrozzini.[55] On November 24, three further videos were released: "Legacy" directed byJeymes Samuel, "Smile" directed byMiles Jay and "Marcy Me" directed byBen and Joshua Safdie.[56] On December 29, an all-star video for "Family Feud" was released (featuring actorsJessica Chastain,Michael B. Jordan,Janet Mock, andDavid Oyelowo among many others), directed byAva DuVernay and scored byFlying Lotus,[57] followed on January 7, 2018, by "Blue's Freestyle", directed by Maurice Taylor of Artlife Studios.[58]
On July 10, Jay-Z announced the 32-date North American4:44 Tour beginning on October 27 at theHonda Center in Anaheim, California. The tour concluded on December 21 atThe Forum inInglewood.[63]
4:44 was released to universal acclaim from critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received anaverage score of 82, based on 29 reviews.[65] Many critics praised its emotional and personal content.[67][74][75]Neil McCormick ofThe Daily Telegraph gave the album a perfect score, stating "It's a highly personal work bravely opening up the artist's very human flaws as an example to others, locating in his own suffering a path towards forgiveness, redemption and, ultimately, a better world. There is little braver than admitting your mistakes and trying to change your ways. By embracing vulnerability, Jay Z has taken a step towards genuine wisdom."[67]
Brittany Spanos ofRolling Stone called the album "a stunning, raw and mature apology that's as much an ode to partnership and family as it is an example of how vulnerability can make for truly excellent art." Spanos states "4:44" is "the most specific and touching" song on the album.[76]4:44 was named "Best New Music" byPitchfork, with reviewer Sheldon Pearce writing, "The most crafty and evasive MC lays bare his complicated life. This late-career gem is personal and diamond-sharp, confronting the failings and legacy of Shawn Carter and America."[29] He also calls the album a "historical artifact".[29]
4:44 debuted at number one on the USBillboard 200 with 262,000album-equivalent units, (of which 174,000 copies were pure album sales) in its first week, according toNielsen Soundscan.[2] This became Jay-Z's 14th number one album.[2] The album was a Tidal exclusive for the first week and the streaming numbers on Tidal were not reported. On July 5, 2017, the album was certifiedplatinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million units.[87] The album was certified only a week after its release.[87] During this period, it was reported that mobile companySprint, a major share-holder inTidal,[88] had bought a million copies of4:44 and provided subscribers free downloads of the album.[88] In its second week, the album remained at number one on the chart, earning an additional 87,000 units.[89] In its third week, the album dropped to number seven on the chart, earning 45,000 more units.[90] In its fourth week, the album climbed to number five on the chart, earning 33,000 units.[91] By the end of 2017, the album had accumulated 639,000 album-equivalent units in the United States, with 399,000 as pure sales, not including the one million copies given away.[92] In 2017,4:44 was ranked as the 36th most popular album of the year on theBillboard 200.[93]
"The Story of O.J." contains elements and excerpts from "Four Women", written and performed byNina Simone; elements from "Kool is Back", as performed byFunk, Inc.; and excerpts from "Kool Back Again", written by Gene Redd and Jimmy Crosby, and performed byKool & the Gang.
"Smile" contains elements and excerpts from "Love's in Need of Love Today", written and performed byStevie Wonder.
"Caught Their Eyes" contains a sample and excerpts from "Baltimore", written byRandy Newman, and performed by Nina Simone; and an excerpt from theArmy–McCarthy hearings.[94]
"Bam" contains elements from "Bam Bam", written byWinston Riley andOphlin Russell, and performed by Sister Nancy; and elements from "Tenement Yard", written by Roger Lewis, and performed by Jacob Miller. R. Henry Gordon, N. N. McCarthy and Frederick "Toots" Hibbert hold the copyright to the original version of the song "Bam Bam" (of which the Sister Nancy version is a cover). The original songwriters were not credited or issued royalties for use of the song by Sister Nancy or Jay-Z.[95][96]
"Marcy Me" contains elements from "Todo o Mundo e Ninguém", written byJosé Cid and Tozé Brito, and performed byQuarteto 1111; and an interpolation of "Unbelievable", as performed byThe Notorious B.I.G., from the albumReady to Die.[94]
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
By July 2, the album was offered as a free download, sponsored by Sprint, via the website 444.tidal.com.[126][127] Those album downloads—which were free to the consumer but purchased by Sprint for distribution—were counted by the RIAA towards the Platinum certification. Roc Nation toldBillboard that the certification reflects those 1 million downloads, and no streams were applied towards the certification.[3]
^abcd4:44(PDF) (Digital booklet).Jay-Z.Roc Nation. 2017. B0027184-02.Archived from the original on December 18, 2017. RetrievedMarch 23, 2019.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^R. Henry Gordon, N. N. McCarthy & Frederick Hibbert (1978) "ABC reggae & 260 other titles. (Part 001 of 002)", United States Copyright Office, Document Number V1700P105
^"Czech Albums – Top 100".ČNS IFPI.Note: On the chart page, select28.Týden 2017 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
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