4:44 is Jay-Z’s 13th solo album, an auspicious number for the rap superstar and culture influencer. But there’s nothing ominous or career-detrimental about this new outing. The album is arguably one of his best yet. Where does it rank among his other 12 albums, though?
Rap critics have lauded this 2017 album for its earnestness, which is very telling of Jay-Z’s real life as a husband, with all his shortcomings and failures. At certain segments the album is brutally honest, self-deprecating, and chronicling various disarrays Jay-Z himself has created.
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In this middle-age-rapper album, Jay-Z proceeds to talk about having stabbed somebody, his encounters with a therapist, raising kids, and infidelity. Critics claim that this is the 48-year-old’s way of putting his house in order, which of course means his legacy, too. He hasn’t lost any of his vaunted rapping bars, wordplay, and wit, and the 10 songs echo with class and melodic structure. 4:44 is surely one of Jay-Z’s best and should cement his legacy as one of the best rappers to have ever existed.
Still, there are much better Jay-Z outputs out there, both in terms of musicality and ambition. Albums that immediately come to mind include 2001’s The Blueprint, considered by many to be the rapper’s magnum opus. Here he addressed, among other things, his beef with the other New York rap superstar, Nas.
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Other notable Jay-Z albums are Reasonable Doubt in 1996, Life and Times of S. Carter in 1999, and The Black Album in 2003. All in all, we can say that the appeal of 4:44 is in its sincerity and maturity. It’s a parent’s album, and as such very aware of things like regret and remorse. But for many, this honest and poised album won’t be possible without a rich rap discography that showed so much more grit.
Ron Ozer graduated from MIT after finishing his studies in just three years. Jay-Z is his favorite musician. Visit this blog for related articles.
