Four years after releasing “ Magna Carta Holy Grail “, American rap God Jay-Z is back with his 13th studio album tilted ” 4:44 ”. The highly anticipated album includes 10 tracks which features his wife Beyonce, Mr.West, Damian Marley, Frank Ocean and his mother, Gloria Carter and others.
The album premiered exclusively on Tidal Friday morning and from the lyrics, Jay-Z seems to be apologizing for cheating on Beyonce. He says on “ 4:44 “, while on the track ” Family Fued ”, Beyonce‘s vocals can be heard as well as his daughter Blue Ivy on “Legacy”
On this album, Jay-Z address issues such as Infidelity where he cheated on his wife, confirms that his mother is lesbian, black supremacy, financial freedom, subliminal jabs at Kanye West, Future and others.
And if my children knew, I don’t even know what I would do / If they ain’t look at me the same, I would prolly die with all the shame / You did what with who? What good is a ménage à trois when you have a soulmate, you risked that for Blue?
He also references the popular verse on Beyonce’s “Lemonade” album on his “ Family Feud ” track as Beyonce ends the track with her vocals signalling all is forgiven. He says:
I’ll (expletive) up a good thing if you let me / Let me alone, Becky! / A man who don’t take care of his family can’t be rich / I watched Godfather, I missed that whole (expletive)
On the track “ Smile ”, Jay Z’s mother, Gloria Carter, collaborated with her son and they both seem to be telling the world that Gloria has been a lesbian for years but had to remain in the closet.
Jay-Z raps:
“Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian. Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian. Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate…”
Jay-Z’s mom who had to raise the rapper and his three siblings on her own, after Jay Z’s dad abandoned them when he was young also recited a poem at the end of the track.
She recited:
“Living in the shadow
Can you imagine what kind of life it is to live?
In the shadows people see you as happy and free
Because that’s what you want them to see
Living two lives, happy, but not free
You live in the shadows for fear of someone hurting your family or the person you love
The world is changing and they say it’s time to be free
But you live with the fear of just being me
Living in the shadow feels like the safe place to be
No harm for them, no harm for me
But life is short, and it’s time to be free
Love who you love, because life isn’t guaranteed
Smile”