4:44 by Jay Z
Jay-Z isn’t the type of artist that we cover all-the time on The Rap Clash, not because he’s bad. On the contrary, it’s because he’s one of those people who are that good at what they do. Guys like Michael Jordan didn’t need to go hard every night, especially when they played a lowly team like the Vancouver Grizzlies or the Dallas Mavericks. And while it sounds harsh, I can say with certainty that a lot of the rappers today, are looking at the best rappers and coasting. It’s not the same competitive drive as it was in from the mid-2000’s to the mid 2010’s anymore. This is a new era.
So comes a refurbished Jay?
But it’s not. If anything, we are getting to see an intimate and even open version of Jay; some could almost say M. Carter. For, you see, 4:44 is one of those projects that doesn’t need to do much, whether that be stylistically or lyrically. It isn’t the lyrical quintuple entendres that we are used to hearing from Hov. This is the pure and simple, nitty gritty.
But before I begin to break this album down: welcome to the classic album review of Jay-Z’s 4:44.
Starting out with the simple beige cover with the numbers 4:44 plastered upon it in black, this is the simplest album cover in Jay Z’s entire discography. Hell, it’s comparable to Kanye’s Yeezus project in terms of simplicity. The album is completely produced by No I.D, who offers a soulful and slightly gritty production that Jay glides over.
In terms of lyricism, it’s powerful. For those who don’t know, it is a very pro-black themed album, explaining it’s position in the calendar and why we are presenting it to you today. The album deals with elements such as marital infidelity (“4:44”), doing better for one another and expecting better from one another in the black community (“Kill Jay-Z” & “Family Feud”). It even dives into the concepts of motherhood (“Smile”) and black capitalism (“Legacy”) in its relatively short run time.
Frankly put, this album is a ten out of ten. And as music continues to grow and evolve, this will become one of those projects that will last. Reason being that this project tends to reveal new elements to it with every listen, and apparently changes once you live more, like the biography of Malcolm X. Give me a few years to get there.