Jay Z has always been the most grown up of rap stars but on this he reaches new heights. 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.
4:44 represents a sort of third act for the rapper, a return to earth after a decade-plus of flawed flights of fancy.
For those who had counted off Jay-Z the rapper, thinking Beyonce's recent renaissance would constitute the artistic future of the Carter clan (this writer included), 4:44 presents a renewed Jay-Z.
‘4:44’ is a deceptively multi-layered listen, revealing more and more to the listener upon multiple listens.
It's a "grown folks" album, with mature themes: he addresses his infidelity, fiscal responsibility in the Black community and the relationships in intergenerational hip-hop.
This is Jay-Z walking onto the stage alone, standing contritely in front of the world, and speaking from the heart, revealing himself in order to heal.
4:44 may lack the Cohiba panache of Jay’s greatest albums, but it’s by far his most thoughtful one.
Even though it’s only 36 minutes long, 4:44 is the first JAY-Z album where you’re hanging on every single word from start to finish, because the words have about four times as many meanings as they did on any of his dozen solo albums prior.
This is a better comeback album than Kingdom Come, and though JAY-Z hadn’t officially retired before 4:44, he might as well have.
Examined in totality, the emotional vulnerability and naked transparency of 4:44 contrasts heavily with the infallible image JAY-Z has built over two decades. While 4:44 may not be his greatest album, it is a much valued deviation from the norm, a surprising feat considering his kaleidoscopic catalog.
It is a short, sharp album, produced entirely by Kanye West’s former mentor No ID – a rarity in hip-hop, and an interesting choice – with just three guests.
Mr. Carter kills his ego and spills the beans on his most intimate album yet.
Jay-Z made 4:44 with producer No I.D., whose beats luxuriate in burnished soul and jazz samples; combined with the relatively light feature roster and the short running time, this makes for the most focused Jay-Z album since The Blueprint.
Jay-Z's unusual vulnerability elevates 4:44 to something more than just a tawdry reality show.
While this project falls short of his more seminal offerings, 4:44 is among JAY-Z’s more meaningful bodies of work to date and showcases another dimension of the greatest rapper alive.
There aren't too many MCs from Jay-Z's era who had the opportunity to reach their full potential. In that sense, 4:44 is a refreshing, full-circle moment for hip-hop lovers — and a true pleasure to hear.
These heartfelt, confessional apologies are delivered via Jay’s most concise, straightforward album in years. 10 tracks and 36 minutes long, this is a filler-free return to form after 2013’s patchy and bloated ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’.
Filled with references to profit and forms of pride granted by birth and earned by hustling, 4:44 nonetheless is an unglamorous set well suited for solitary and reflective late-night listening.
What makes 4:44 powerful is that Jay Z isn’t preaching from a gilded throne: He’s speaking from the position of someone who’s overcome numerous struggles and wants to give others the keys to do the same.
The infotainment of 4:44 finds him delivering messages of black empowerment through the lens of commerce, with seminar-quality lessons about credit, spending and generational wealth straight outta the hotel near the airport.
It may be due to his reflection on the past four years specifically; it may bear significance to the perils of a forty-something; but if JAY-Z’s three undeniable classics are currently Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album, 4:44 can certainly be argued as his fourth.
4:44 was most anticipated as a response to Lemonade but what it unfortunately has ended up being is a bitter Kanye diss album.
Even if all of this leaves 4:44 feeling a little musically thin, it’s still a relief not to hear him effectively drowned out by the kitchen sink mess of ideas that was Magna Carta, or the hyper-polish of The Blueprint 3.
Against all those conditions, 4:44 is intimate, refined and mature – fascinating partly despite its flaws and partly because of them.
More or less, 4:44 sounds like a late career JAY-Z album (because it is,) replete with the total blankness of the man's performance.
500 REVIEWS!!!!!
Thank you everyone for your support over the last 6 months or so, I loved my time doing pretty much daily album reviews! For my 500th Review I've decided to do an album from my second favourite artist of all time Jigga Jay-Z! Pretty much every album I've ever heard I've submitted to this website for you guys to a read of my thoughts. However this album and a few others I've saved for other milestones I will hopefully reach whilst on this page. Once again Thank you for spending ... read more
Jay-z, stop trying to make Tidal happen! It's not going to happen!
Favs: Kill Jay Z, The Story of O.J., Smile (featuring Gloria Carter), Family Feud, Bam (featuring Damian Marley) and Moonlight.
There is a unique element any artist must consider when setting out to create a piece of art, why. This album seems like a very good reminder of that, yes everything about this album, production, flow, writing, and storytelling is amazing, but above all, Jay-Z knows why he made this album, he knows why, and in turn, he knows how. It blends together to create this ever-fluid experience of an album wherein on every single track you are reminded Jay-Z is good at what he does, really good, he oozes ... read more
1 | Kill Jay-Z 2:58 | 88 |
2 | The Story of O.J. 3:51 | 95 |
3 | Smile 4:49 feat. Gloria Carter | 89 |
4 | Caught Their Eyes 3:26 feat. Frank Ocean | 87 |
5 | 4:44 4:44 | 97 |
6 | Family Feud 4:11 feat. Beyoncé | 86 |
7 | Bam 3:54 feat. Damian Marley | 82 |
8 | Moonlight 2:23 | 80 |
9 | Marcy Me 2:54 | 90 |
10 | Legacy 2:57 | 87 |
#1 | / | The Ringer |
#2 | / | Complex |
#2 | / | Mass Appeal |
#2 | / | Rap-Up |
#3 | / | BET |
#3 | / | Esquire (US) |
#3 | / | Fuse |
#4 | / | Associated Press |
#4 | / | Billboard |
#4 | / | Philadelphia Inquirer |