4:44

I know it’s a bold claim, but it might well be true. I’ve been listening to Jay-Z since he was still coming up. I’ve seen his career highs (“Reasonable Doubt,” “the Blueprint,” “The Black Album,” “Watch the Throne”) and lows (Vol. 3, those ill-advised collaborations with R. Kelly and Linkin Park, “Kingdom Come,”), and I honestly don’t think he’s ever released and album that is as seamless and consistent as “4:44.”A couple years ago, when Jay dropped “Magna Carta, Holy Grail,” I basically thought the curtain had been drawn on his recording career. That album had some OK moments, but it was meandering and purposeless, and out of touch with the hip-hop scene around him (not to mention the unforgivable “repurposing” of the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” chorus, but Justin Timberlake). I hoped for a thoroughly astonishing final act, but my hope has diminished with each passing year. I was envisioning something huge, with myriad producers and guests, and epic, maximalist sounds and huge themes. But instead, kind of out of nowhere, came “4:44.” It’s short and condensed. It’s filler-free. The songs are all memorable and hummable and effective. Yes, the whole Sprint-platinum fiasco was ridiculous, and it’s uncomfrable to hear Jay calling out the man who is almost solely responsible for keeping him relevant into the 2000s and beyond (Kanye West... don’t argue), but this album just doesn’t have any weak spots. It’s entirely produced by the legendary No ID, who sprinkles the album with soul samples and strong beats, and gives it all a unified sound and sonic identity. “4:44” is sparse, compared to HOV’s larger-than-life affairs, but the tone serves the aging emcee well here, as the focus pivots from world-domination to self-examination. It’s a good look for an aging rapper of Jay’s caliber, of which there are few.In terms of rapping, Jay is at his prizefighting best on tracks like “Marcy Me,” which paints a vivid picture of his journey from the Brooklyn projects to arena stages. Lyrically, Jay is far beyond the “Talib Kweli” he wished he’d become on “The Black Album,” and “March Me” and “Legacy” are the strongest testaments to this. (What’s Talib up to these days anyway? Nothing this good.)The albums best moments are the opener, “Kill Jay-Z,” which is such a great song that even a Kanye dis can’t sour it; the Nina Simone sampling “Caught Their Eyes,” featuring Frank Ocean; and “Moonlight,” in which Jay launches a subtle and multi-tiered attack on both racism and the uninspired modern rappers who may or may not be named Aubrey Graham, and may or may not be objectively terrible (spoiler: I think it is about Drake, among others; also, Drake is objectively terrible).The weakest points here are in “The Story of O.J.,” in which Jay makes a cringe-worthy comment about Jewish people and “credit.” But the track is so strong that even this HUGE misstep can’t ruin its overall effect. (Note: Jay has defended the lyric, saying the whole song and video use inflated stereotypes to make a point, so it’s silly to have an issue with the “Jewish people” line, and not the rest of the song. This is all well and good, but it doesn’t hold much water as an argument. However, I genuinely don’t think he meant any harm with the lyric.)In terms of consistency, “4:44” is peerless in the HOV canon. Only “Reasonable Doubt” comes close to being as filler-free. Lyrically, it’s his least full of ****, and his most honest. It’s the most focused he’s been behind the mic in ages, and production-wise, it’s cohesive and powerful.Like A Tribe Called Quest did with their 2016 return, “We Got it From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service,” Jay-Z has given us a “comeback” album that represents the best of what a comeback album can be. He’s offered up the best possible version of himself here. He’s not cashing in on modern trends, or trying to avoid his age, or shirk the sounds of his youth. He’s embracing the sounds of traditional hip-hop, and cleaning touching them up with a coat of new paint for 2017. I alswyas though I wanted Jay to drop some huge, mammoth epic album to end his run, but this album cuts all the **** entirely, and serves up something real and honest and good for countless repeat listens.To put it another way, Kendrick Lamar released the (amazing) “DAMN.” this year — an album that takes on the world, and is infinitely more complex and layered and powerful. But for some reason, “4:44” is what I’ve spent the past few months blasting on repeat. That should pretty much say it all.

So many great reviews have already been written but I felt I had to say something short.WOW.JAY WENT DEEP.I have not bought a Jay-Z CD since I ordered the American Gangster CD in 2007 and the only song I loved was "I Know".Everything else after that did not interest me at all. I felt Jay was way too pop and heading into the void of repetition. Also I can't stand Kanye West so anything he was on, I turned off.Fast forward 10 years AND WOW, I'M IN LOVE WITH JAY & HIS MUSIC AGAIN.I'm happy to say I grew up with Jay's music since I was 16 in 1996 when "Reasonable Doubt" was released and I liked it but "In My Lifetime Vol. 1" was the album that made me cement my love for Jay and I bought everything from that point.4:44 IS A MASTERPIECE. JAY-Z WENT DEEP LYRICALLY. HE POURED OUT HIS HEART. HE POURED OUT HIS TRUE FEELINGS. HE HELD BACK NOTHING.JUST A PURE MATURE ALBUM.NO I.D. AND HIS CLASSIC 1990'S SAMPLING STYLE AND PRODUCTION MADE THIS ALBUM. I'M SO GLAD HE WAS THE MAIN PRODUCER ON THIS. JAY & NO I.D. MADE A ALBUM FOR THE AGES AND IT WILL BE REMEMBERED AS A CLASSIC FOR THE REST OF MY LIFETIME.This is not a mainstream dance record.This is not a club banger.You youngsters will not understand or appreciate this album.This album, everytime I play it, it takes me back to the golden era of 90's rap hip hop.It makes me think of my life.It makes me think of my children and relationships.Jay-Z.... Thank You For Making This Album.We All Needed This.Now I can't wait for a follow up album in a few years.

The album is deep and many people will skip past the subtle beauty of it in search for radio hits/party bangers. This is NOT an album you bump to at a club or at a party (kinda), it's an album that you have to listen to carefully and reflect on. I find myself listening to this album all the time because I can relate to Jay-Z's message in these songs. Compared to his other albums that primarily talk about being from the hood, rising up to economical/societal challenges, and enjoying the successes of life; this album focuses on more mature aspects of life like leaving a legacy and reflecting on who you've become by looking back at your past (specifically Jay-Z's past). Jay-Z opens up about his friends and families distress, his past mistakes, and his goals of being a better father. There isn't a bad song on this album and I wish he shared this level of vulnerability more often. It's good.

Even though Jay Z deliver to the cranium for those who might be sleep, I feel he should have put more sonic & funk into these noticeable samples...the album almost sound like 1 - 40:00 minute song or however long the entire album is...I am a Jay Z fan, I think his metaphors reach out to his immediate circle of rappers and entertainers a like...The album is most predictable...I love the last 2 tracks on the album (Marcy) being my favorite...I hope Jay get back to putting those pimp metaphors back on his next project...Good album overall!

I thought I was done with Hov after whatever Magna Carta was supposed to be but I've been a Jay-Z fan since around '96 or whenever Reasonable Doubt came out. Simply put if Jay Z drops an album I'm coppin it. I even bought Kingdom Come. Ug. Anyway I started hearing feedback from the this album before even hearing 1 track but once I listened to The Story of OJ, I scraped together whatever money I could to order it. This album is right up there with ReasonableDoubt and Blueprint 1 which are my all time faves.