The 13th studio album by Beyoncé 's other half. There had been talk of this album since the news of the couple's newly arrived twin babies, but no confirmation other than random '4:44' signs around the city of New York. Coming out exactly 10 hours before I wrote this article, it is still very fresh , but the impact isn't any less present. When Beyoncé released her last album 'Lemonade,' we all had questions: Did Jay-Z really cheat? Is it about her mother and father's rocky marriage? Who is Becky? Now that Jay-Z has made an album answering some of our long awaited questions, can we really say we like the answers?
Kill Jay-Z
The first track on the album addresses the fact that even though he's been in this business for 20+ years. He still has people who don't want to like him, or the Jay-Z version of him. "Die Jay'-Z, this ain't back in the days,' the exact lyric acknowledging the difference between the old Jay-Z and the new Jay-Z. I personally think the difference would be Shawn Carter, the business man, and Jay-Z, the persona. The image that people think of for the 'Jay-Z and Beyoncé' power couple 'goals' that people want, but don't truly understand what happens behind closed doors. Also on this track, we get a reaction to Kanye's rant back in November, ' I know people backstab you, I felt bad too/ But this is 'f*** everybody' attitude ain't natural/ But you ain't a Saint, this ain't KumbaYe/But you got hurt because you did cool by 'Ye/ You gave him 20 million without blinkin'/He gave you 20 minutes on stage, f*** was he thinkin'?' Mr. Carter even acknowledges the infamous exchange he had with Queen Bey's sister Solange in the elevator of the Met Gala. 'You egged Solange on/ Knowin' all along, all you had to say you was wrong,' these lines are the first response we've got from Jay-Z since the incident that made headlines. Another first response from Jay-Z to the allegations of his cheating 'Let the baddest girl in the world get away.'
Most memorable lines: 'How can we know if we can trust Jay-Z?' 'You had no father, you had the armor/But you got a daughter, gotta be softer,' 'But you can't heal what you never reveal,' 'But if everybody's crazy, you're the one that's insane,' and 'You almost went Eric Benѐt/ Let the baddest girl in the world get away.'
The Story of O.J.
Very rarely talked about is the colorism in rap music. But Hov knows how to spark controversy, as a true music legend would. The song's title connects to the infamous case of OJ Simpson, starting off the first verse with 'I'm not black, I'm O.J.' Jay-Z talks about the House N****/Field N**** dynamic that bleeds into the light skin and dark skin separation between people of color (particularly black people) today. He reminds us that at the end of the day we're all 'still n*****.' I also like to think the lines 'House n****, don't f*** with me/ I'm a field n**** with shined cutlery,' refers to talk show host, a white talk show host, Bill Maher calling himself a 'House N****.' I wouldn't put it past Jay-Z to threaten him in the song given his history of shooting his own brother and getting into a fight with a man who wanted to bootleg an unreleased album (referenced on the previous track). He says he doesn't care too much for 'livin' rich and dyin' broke' mentalities, but strives for 'financial freedom.' Mr.Carter also throws shots at the various Instagram users who like to front more than they should, 'Y'all out her still takin' advances, huh?/ Me and my nigga takin' real chances/Y'all on the 'Gram holdin' money to your ear.'
Most memorable lines: 'Light n****, dark n****, faux n****, real n****/ Rich n****, poor n****, house n****, field n****/Still n****,' 'Please don't die over the neighborhood, That your mama rentin'/Take your drug money and buy the neighborhood, That's how your rinse it.' 'You know what's more important that throwin' away money at a strip club? Credit,' 'But I'm tryna give you a million dollars worth of game for 9.99,' and 'Y'all on the 'Gram holdin' money to your ear/ There's a disconnect, we don't call that money over here.'
Smile (feat. Gloria Carter)
A perfect ending to Pride Month; Jay-Z talks about being raised by a lesbian mother, 'Had to pretend so long that she's a thespian…Society shame and the pain was too much to take.' He goes on to say that he doesn't care about his mother's sexuality rather, whatever it takes to make her smile. In the following verse Hov reminisces on never actually getting signed, but he will still manage to reach a billion before he dies. Being inducted as the first rapper in to the Songwriters Hall of Fame Jay-Z calls himself, 'Hall of Fame Hov,' and admits 'I did it all without a pen,' revealing that all the work he's be awarded for, was done solely in his head. Later, in the third verse he says, 'In my rear-view mirror, objects is further than they appear,' meaning even though he's been through a lot, the tribulations are so far in his past that he shouldn't let it affect him. It also could be an attack on various member of a group of people who think they're near him or on his level (Aubrey "Drake" Graham likes to throw shots). Another great line, is him acknowledge his mentality switch, 'Ours was "F*** you, pay me"/ Now it's, "F*** payin me, I pay you/ Put the rest away for Blue."' A running constant in this album is Jay-Z referencing how having a daughter changed him, but never how being married to Beyoncé deeply affected his actions. I'd like to think that this gives us a further look at Beyoncé 's Lemonade. There is something to be said about how he chooses to give himself nicknames that make him 'godly' i.e, 'Hova' a shortened form of Jehova meaning God in Hebrew and, on this track, 'Elohim' meaning God in Hebrew as well. Though many of us couldn't believe that Jay-Z would ever cheat on Beyoncé, this album allows us to get into his head and understand how he could actually think to do it. Jay-Z also talks about how people, specifically black people, turned their backs on him when he released TIDAL. TIDAL is his streaming business that is artist-owned and he thought that people would responded more positively to it than they did, 'N*****'ll rip your s*** off TIDAL just to spite you/Ahhh, what did I do? / 'Cept try to free you/ N*****'ll love you but hate you 'cause they can't be you.'
Most memorable lines: 'Mama had four kids, but she's a lesbian/ Had to pretend so long that she's a thespian,' 'Society shame and the pain was too much to take,' 'Far as draft picks, my name did not get called/ Bet before I go I put a billion on the board,' 'A loss ain't a loss, it's lesson/ Apprieciate the pain, it's a blessin,' 'N*****'ll rip your s*** off TIDAL just to spite you,' and ' Take a young n**** freedom on some dirt/ Yet it's legal in Colorado/ Yeah, we deny/ Black entrepreneurs, free enterprise/ That's why it's black market, that's why it's called the trap/ That's why its called the projects, cause it's exactly that!'
Caught Their Eyes (feat Frank Ocean)
In his collaboration with iHeart Radio, Jay-Z says this song is about being aware of your surroundings. I personally don't care too much for this song. It has a great melody and Frank Ocean on the chorus is nice as it usually is. I have nothing bad to say about this song, but I do usually skip it. (Especially, if I'm waiting for the real juice of the album which is the next track 4:44.)
Most memorable lines: ' 'round friends who kill they friends/ Then hug their friends' mothers/ And show up at the funeral, complete with blank stares,' ' I sat down with Prince, eye to eye/ He told me his wishes before he died/ Now, Londell McMillian, he must be color blind/ They only see green from them purple eyes,' and 'I've seen pure admiration become rivals.'
4:44 (The one that's got everyone talking)
Alright, everyone who listened to Lemonade couldn't decide if Beyoncé 's talk of infidelity was just her singing a song that was written for her, her talking about her mother's marriage to her father, or her revealing the struggles of her marriage to Jay-Z. On this track, we get our answer. I'm not going to lie; this song is really sad to me.
'Look, I apologize, often womanize/Took for my child to be born/ See through a woman's eye,' He begins this verse apologizing and we know it's going to be good. 'That was your 21st birthday, you mature faster than me/ I wasn't ready, so I apologize/ I've seen the innocence leave your eyes/ I still mourn this death, I apologize for all the stillborns/ 'Cause I wasn't present, your body wouldn't accept it,' the second most heartbreaking lines of the song. Jay-Z admits that he was sad to see the innocence leave Beyoncé, but knows he's to blame due to his actions. He also takes fault in her previous miscarriages, well aware that the reason why those babies aren't with us today, is due to him not being the man he should have been when she needed him most. 'And you stare blankly into space/ Thinkin' of all the time you wasted in on all this basic s***,' he knows she thinks about his wrong doings often. He sees it in her eyes whenever he catches her thinking. 'I apologize, our love was one for the ages and I contained us.' Jay-Z and Beyoncé are known as one of the biggest power couples of our time, and not one manufactured to sell an image. They're big on philanthropy, creating opportunities for black people, and actively speaking out to better help our generation. 'I never wanted another woman to know/ Something about me that you didn't know,' the third most heartbreaking lyric. Imagine being the women who cheated with Jay-Z? "Yah girl, you know I was just with Jay-Z." I don't even know Beyoncé on a personal level, and I would tell you off. 'I stew over/ What if? / You over/ My s***.' He knows, we know, and Beyoncé should know too, that she could have any man she wanted. (But I think that we all can agree, that admiration we receive can mean nothing if it's not from the one(s) we want) Jay-Z is well aware that Beyoncé is a once in a lifetime woman and her leaving him would do more damage to him than it would her. The last verse is the saddest and the most heartbreaking; "And if my children knew, I don't know what I would do/ I f they ain't look at me the same/ I would probably die with all the shame/ What good is a ménage á trois when you have a soulmate? / You risked that for Blue?' and 'My heart breaks for the day I had to explain my mistakes/ And the mask goes away and Santa Claus is fake/ And you go online and see/ For Blue's tooth, the tooth fairy didn't pay.'
Most memorable lines: Take your pick
Family Feud
I don't know about y'all, but 4:44 was an intense track. Jay-Z finally admits to cheating, but to have Beyoncé singing on the very next song is bold to me. None the less, the song addresses that black artist shouldn't feud, 'You'd rather be old rich me or new you?' He also manages to tell the older generation of rappers to stop attacking the new generation of hip-hop by saying 'And old n*****, y'all stop actin' brand new/ Like 2Pac ain't have a nose ring too.' A large group of people like to attack newer rappers like Lil Uzi Vert and Young Thug for the 'feminine' way that they dress. Mr. Carter reminds them that when 2Pac wore a nose ring, it was considered 'feminine,' but his talent wasn't dismissed because of it. On the next verse, Jay-Z soon comes for the people who like to call him ugly, 'Ain't no such thing as an ugly billionaire, I'm cute.' Soon he tells us we should be buying black-owned products, 'Hundred percent, Black owned champagne/ And we merrily merrily eatin' off these streams.' In this line, Jay is reminding us of the Armand de Brignac champagne company he owns and his streaming service TIDAL. 'What's better than one billionaire? Two (two)/ 'Specially if they're from the same hue as you,'' we all know that Beyoncé is going to be a billionaire, so this line is very fitting. He also wants us to know that we need to start supporting black businesses because it'd be nice if the Forbes' lists had more faces that were black.
Most memorable lines: 'You'd rather be rich or be me,' 'Nobody wins when the family feuds,' 'What's better than one billionaire? Two/ 'Specially if they're the same hue as you,' 'I'll f*** up a good thing if you let me/ Let me alone, Becky/ A man that don't take care his family can't be rich,' and 'I'll be damned if I drink some Belvedere while Puff got CIROC.'
Bam (feat. Damian Marley)
'Shawn was on that gospel s***/ I was on the total f*****' opposite.' I don't think Jay-Z needs to tell us that him and Shawn Carter are two different. Shawn Carter is a business man and Jay-Z, sometimes HOV or Jigga, is all about street appeal. 'Before we had A7R's, we had AR's too/We the only ones really movin' like y'all say y'all do…Emory passed you n***** and he did a bid/ Ty Ty jumped over n***** and he's like 5'6,' during these lines Jay-Z references the juxtaposition of his past and present life. His old friends who he used to deal drugs with, are now creative director and co-founder of Roc Nation, respectively.
Most memorable lines: 'Shawn was on that gospel s***.'
Moonlight
'We stuck in La La Land/ Even when we win, we gon' lose,' a song beginning with a reference to the infamous 2016 Oscars moment, of the incorrect announcement of the winner for Best Picture. Though "La La Land," was called on stage, the director from the film found the correct envelope and informed us the "Moonlight," had actually won. In the next verse he comes at rappers who like to 'flex for the 'gram.' Calling them 'glorified seat fillers' and telling them to 'Stop walkin' around like y'all made Thriller (Tbt Drake calling himself the King of Pop on "R.I.C.O). ' Later he makes a dig at the rappers who like to pretend that they live a more gangster lifestyle than they actually do, 'Please don't talk about guns/That you ain't never gon' use/ Y'all always tell on y'all self/ I'm just so f***** confused.' Though I would love to pinpoint a specific person he's referencing, there are too many to choose from. One could think of Bobby Shmurda with his music and music videos or now Trey Songz with his snapchat videos being used against him it court. Once again, Jay-Z talks of the bad deals that artist are still signing, 'Y'all n***** still signin' deals? / After all they done stone, for real? / After what they done to our Lauryn Hill.' He ends the track by emphasizing "'Cause their grass is greener/ 'Cause they always rakin' in mo,' "saying that, of course the people who con you in the music business are going to be richer, they're always scamming someone.
Most memorable lines: 'We stuck in La La Land/ Even when we win, we gon' lose,' 'Stop walkin' around like y'all made Thriller,' ' Y'all always tell on y'all self,' 'Y'all n*****s still signin' deals,' 'That's real talk when you behind on your taxes,' 'Lucian is cool but Lucian don't write,' and 'Cause their grass is greener/ 'Cause they always rakin' in mo' '
Marcy Me
On this track, Jay-Z talks about his life before the music. 'Cookin' coke in the kitchen/ Back when Rodman was a Piston/ Mike was losin' to Isiah, but he soon would get his sixth one.' Back then he knew he'd be great, but wasn't sure how great. Jay-Z uses a Hemlet line to describe his feeling, 'Lord, we know who we are/ Yeah we know not what we may be.' He hints at the exact time period by making popculture referenced like 'Back when Pam was on Martin,' and 'When Lisa Bonet was Beyoncé of her day.' Though Brooklyn is very different from what it used to be, Jay-Z acknowledges that it made him what he is today, 'Streets is my artery, the vein of my existence/ I'm the Gotham City heartbeat' and 'Old Brooklyn, not this new s***, shift feel like a spoof.' Jay-Z ends his verse by shouting out Brooklyn, 'Shout out to Nostrand Ave., Flushing Ave., Myrtle/ All the County of Kings, may your ground stay fertile.'
Most memorable lines: 'Gave birth to my verbal imagination,' 'Lord, we know who we are/ Yeah, we know not what we may be,' 'When Lisa Bonet was the Beyoncé of her day, I had divas, y'all,' and 'Y'all flirtin with death/I be winkin' through the scope.'
Legacy
'Daddy, what's a will?' Blue Ivy Carter starts this song with a question that might actually make her faint when she finds out who her parents really are. Like one can assume, this song is about the Carter name and what it'll mean when we look back in the history books. 'She might start an institute/ She might put poor kids through school,' Jay can only assume that his first child will do great things when she's older, based on the foundation that has been laid for her by her family. He especially wants her to look out for her black people, 'A nice peace-fund ideas from people who look like we.' Though his parents didn't have much for him when he was growing up his mother new about bonds,' My mom took her money, she bought me bonds/ That was the sweetest thing of all time, uh.' On the next verse, Jay-Z blames a 'family curse' for the bad luck his family endure, that he had to cancel out himself, 'You see, my father, son of a preacher man/ Whose daughter couldn't escape the reach of the preacher's hand/ That charge of energy set all the Carters back' It took all these years to get to zero in fact.' In the following lines, he admits that the very family secret made he hate religion, and like most people, associated the religion with the hypocrites who were Christians.
This album was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I do think that I didn't expect a lot from it, because my Jay-Z favorites are "Big Pimpin,'" "Girls, Girls, Girls," "Izzo (H.O.V.A)," "N**** What, N**** Who," "Excuse Me Miss," "Song Cry," Dirt off Your Shoulder," "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)," and "99 Problems." I like Jay-Z's older music best, but this album was filled with a lot of metaphors and shots thrown at the older generation of rappers that I didn't see coming. It does suck that it's currently only available on TIDAL, but I've heard rumors that Apple Music subscribers might get the album in the weeks to come.
*A note to those who haven't heard a lot of Jay-Z's music, I think that the songs I listed above are a great place to start, as well as some of these more recent ones like: "F*ckwitmeyouknowigotit," " Part 2 (On the Run)," "Beach is Better," "No Church in the Wild," "N***** in Paris," "Otis," "Gotta Have It," and "Illest Mother F***** Alive (This song starts at 3:00)" *
