Author Topic: JAY-Z - 4:44 (Official Discussion Thread)  (Read 6943 times)

me1

Re: JAY-Z - 4:44 (Official Discussion Thread)
« Reply #15 on: July 02, 2017, 05:44:16 PM »
Apparently the FLAC version was made free on tidal briefly for subscribers and non-subscribers alike for about 18 hours or maybe a full day...it's since been taken down tho.

anyone get their hands on that?
 

Lucifuge

Re: JAY-Z - 4:44 (Official Discussion Thread)
« Reply #16 on: July 04, 2017, 02:28:46 AM »
Shits trash hands down. No flow jsut a bunch words throw it down. Production is crazy.
ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO!!!

Detox 2000Never

tyranasaurus rex like fuck a bitch
i once saw a pterdactyl fuck a bitch
eat a bowl these bitch gobbling dick
hoes forgot to eat a dick a shut the fuck up
roll through crenshaw on my pterdactyl like what up!
By kevin t as Kurupt :D
 

The Predator

Re: JAY-Z - 4:44 (Official Discussion Thread)
« Reply #17 on: July 04, 2017, 03:51:49 AM »
NO I.D. made good use of what must of been a lavish budget.
 

doggfather

Re: Jay Z Announces New "4:44" Album Exclusive to Sprint and Tidal Users
« Reply #18 on: July 04, 2017, 06:28:13 AM »
album is out, and twitter went crazy after listen.

so do i.

really good album. i mean i am shocked, and suprised.
https://twitter.com/dggfthr

HELP

I'm an ol' school collecta from the 90's SO F.CK DIGITAL, RELEASE A CD!

RIP GANXSTA RIDD
RIP GODFATHER
RIP MONSTA O
RIP NATE DOGG
RIP BAD AZZ
 

b.laden

Re: Jay Z Announces New "4:44" Album Exclusive to Sprint and Tidal Users
« Reply #19 on: July 04, 2017, 06:54:34 AM »
Jay Z aint relevent since Black Album 14 years ago... so no thanx
;D i d say 20 years ...
 

The Predator

Re: JAY-Z - 4:44 (Official Discussion Thread)
« Reply #20 on: July 06, 2017, 12:19:44 PM »
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/RM7lw0Ovzq0" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/RM7lw0Ovzq0</a>

-------------------------

Quote
Jay-Z :: 4:44
Roc Nation

Author: Sy Shackleford

Four years ago, when "Magna Carta... Holy Grail" dropped, I considered it mostly a lyrical exercise in an indulgence that was just as pervasive in hip-hop as it was redundant. Though hip-hop music is a youth-oriented institution, if you can spit proper, then age is irrelevant. But my reservations at the time about Jay-Z didn't concern his age, but rather his unparalleled accomplishments, both personally and professionally. With all that he's done, what was there left for him to talk about? He's no longer hungry like he was on "Reasonable Doubt" and "In My Lifetime, Vol. 1"; he doesn't have a crew anymore like he did on "Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter" and "The Dynasty Roc La Familia"; the man has done it all and rapped about it all. While I liked Magna Carta, I felt that he didn't have a wide range of topics to discuss going into it. Songs like "Picasso Baby" and "Tom Ford" unnerved me because I felt it was pretentious to rap about owning high-class art. Four years later, I now consider myself to be wrong.

Content-wise, Jay-Z was somewhat pushing the envelope on that album by referencing all this traditional artwork, particularly when you read up on Jean Michel's history ("Spray everything like SAMO" was a Basquiat reference). His seemingly bourgeois affectations and thirst for "unattainable" things in life was him telling his listeners to wake up and broaden their horizons. While he was bragging, he was definitely not bragging about the same things as everyone else. On his 13th studio album "4:44" that statement rings very true. Actually, he's not bragging at all. What he does is answer the questions that the public most certain has, and then some. Though he has addressed the dichotomy of Shawn Carter and Jay-Z before, "4:44" is his most personal lyrical analysis of his own juxtaposition of selves yet. A mix of confessions, regrets, life-lessons, and legacies, "4:44" is hip-hop as an adult contemporary style.

Much like his last album, Jay has shown that he can announce that he'll be releasing an album next week via technological applications and people will devour it in spades. Though this time his album was available exclusively through the Sprint-owned music streaming service TIDAL, the result was still the same. "4:44" has had no lead singles or that much promotion, but he knew the album would sell by the strength of his name and reputation alone. For his business acumen in the streets and the boardroom, he's an amalgam of Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell. Veteran Chicago beatsmith No I.D. produced the entirety of this album. It was a good decision for Jay to work with him. The way No I.D. can flip samples makes his music fun to listen to straight all the way through. It's near-dearth of guest stars here is also a plus. With 10 tracks clocking in at under forty minutes, Jay-Z enlisted just three.

The album's opener, "Kill Jay-Z", has been heavily discussed for Hov's subliminal shots at Kanye West. The concept of the song, however, has Jay rapping at himself, and is a lyrical equivalent of the ending scene of his 2004 music video for "99 Problems" where Jay is riddled by gunshots, reportedly representing the death of Jay-Z and the rebirth of Shawn Carter.

The second track has a beat comprised of a piano sample, accompanying bass, and a sped-up vocal sample. Titled "The Story of O.J.", he drops some knowledge about what it means to be an źber-successful African-American. With lines like "Y'all think it's bougie, I think that's fine, but I'm just tryna give you $1 million worth of game for only $9.99" (which is ironic because TIDAL made this album available for free with no subscription just this past Sunday night), it's clear he's been watching House of Cards on Netflix: "He chose money over power. In this town, a mistake nearly everyone makes. Money is the Mc-mansion in Sarasota that starts falling apart after 10 years. Power is the old stone building that stands for centuries. I cannot respect someone who doesn't see the difference." He expresses regrets over having so much money at one point with no real financial freedom or the foresight to make smart investments with it. He's at his most lyrical on "Smile". With frantic snares and multi-track gospel vocals in the background, he has his mother, Gloria Carter, deliver a Big Rube-like spoken word outro. Also, it's the most lyrically autobiographical track on the album with a revelation about his mother:

"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
Society shame and the pain was too much to take
Cried tears of joy when you fell in love
Don't matter to me if it's a him or her
I just wanna see you smile through all the hate
Marie Antoinette, baby, let 'em eat cake"


Of course, this review would be remiss if it were not to include at least something about the biggest question about Jay-Z that everyone's had on their mind. That question was borne of his wife, Beyonce and her 2016 controversial song "Sorry", which alleged that Jay had a mistress. The title-track on this album finally answers that question and doubles as an answer record to "Sorry". He confesses his infidelities and apologizes profusely over a soulful sample.

As a man, husband, and father, he expresses a good level of shame at what he's done. He raps "what good is a menage-a-trois when you've got a soulmate". Apart from his mother, the other two guest appearances on the album are Frank Ocean and Damian Marley on the Nina Simone-sampling "Caught Their Eyes" and the Dancehall style "Bam", respectively.

One of two standout tracks on the latter half of the album is "Family Feud". In it, he addresses the current state of hip-hop in relation to the lack of support within rap culture, as well as its perception and inequality of wealth. The second is "Marcy Me", which is the second best song on the album after "Smile". The beat has a Marvin Gaye feel to it with the blues piano sample and is a love letter to the Marcy section of Brooklyn where Jay was raised, lyrically applying a mother as a metaphor to represent where he grew up.

Lyrically, Jay-Z still has his gift for wordplay and flow. For what he does not display in terms of technical emceeing ability on this album, he makes up for it by dropping clever gems filled with knowledge. Despite the album's flaws (the production on "Moonlight" and "Legacy" is their only saving grace), what makes it listenable as far as lyrics go is the that, on one hand, it's a swipe at his critics. On the other hand, it's self-aggrandizement mixed with self-criticism. Jay-Z is well-aware of how he's perceived, but he's mindful about it now more than ever. With the monumental ambition, drive and success, maybe he should've titled the album "How to Make It in America". After all, nothing succeeds like success.

Music Vibes: 9 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 6 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 7.5 of 10
« Last Edit: July 06, 2017, 12:28:37 PM by The Predator »
 
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Blood$

Re: JAY-Z - 4:44 (Official Discussion Thread)
« Reply #21 on: July 06, 2017, 04:01:41 PM »
I fuck with the album, short but sweet and it's something different from Jay... probably ranks somewhere in the middle tier of his catalog  8)
 

Marco

Re: JAY-Z - 4:44 (Official Discussion Thread)
« Reply #22 on: July 06, 2017, 09:28:41 PM »
Album is now available on iTunes:
4:44 by JAY-Z
https://itun.es/us/jJ15kb
West Coast Connection // www.dubcnn.com/connect // West Coast Connection
 

doggfather

https://twitter.com/dggfthr

HELP

I'm an ol' school collecta from the 90's SO F.CK DIGITAL, RELEASE A CD!

RIP GANXSTA RIDD
RIP GODFATHER
RIP MONSTA O
RIP NATE DOGG
RIP BAD AZZ
 

Okka

Re: JAY-Z - 4:44 (Official Discussion Thread)
« Reply #24 on: July 07, 2017, 11:39:21 AM »
I gotta give this one a spin. A lot of people were suprised by how good this album is.
 

2Relevant

Re: JAY-Z - 4:44 (Official Discussion Thread)
« Reply #25 on: July 07, 2017, 03:19:50 PM »
I gotta give this one a spin. A lot of people were suprised by how good this album is.

compare to the standard of today with so much garbage out there its no wonder it did so good this is what hip hop is suppose to be about
 

2Relevant

Re: JAY-Z - 4:44 (Official Discussion Thread)
« Reply #26 on: July 07, 2017, 03:37:43 PM »
as for the album lyrically is was really good the beats not so good

my favorite moments was when he went after that trap clone future and that retard k west
jay z easily exposed that trap clone future cause future cant mumble anything back cause everything future mumbles about in every song j really has all the money the bitch they really want and all the rest of that nonsense these mumble clones mumble about futures response was "you don't the juice" typical from a trap clone cause lets face it these trap clones have no bars and it will be career suicide to say nothing or diss him back like i said before these trap clones need to stay in their lane j ay z alone can take out these mumble clones with doa part 2 lol and if he needs back up he has roc nation watch since they cant go after him they going to go after his age after all hes 47 but thats not going to be enough shit he might nas to join him these guys int going to let hip hop fall after all the work they put in over the years mumble clones gonna have to pay someone to write some real bars for them

as for mr west same thing hes going to need 20 ghost writers and 20 people for beats this overrated trash needs to disappear from hip hop as well as those trap clones they a real cancer for real hip hop and just making the youth more retarded





 

The Predator

Re: JAY-Z - 4:44 (Official Discussion Thread)
« Reply #27 on: July 10, 2017, 04:37:58 PM »
Quote
[Review] JAY-Z - "4:44"

Last week out of nowhere JAY-Z dropped his thirteenth studio album pretty much out of nowhere; no promotion, no hype, just 37 minutes of fantastic music. In fact this might be one of the Hov album that will go down as one of his best, a future classic alongside "Reasonable Doubt", "Blueprint" and "The Black Album". I loved "American Gangster" so I'm a bit on the fence on which album is better but this is more focused and the lyrics is just on another level, totally original from the JAY-Z we know. With one of the best emcees in the game meeting one of the best producers of the industry, NO ID and Hov has created an album that brings back the values of what a really great Hip Hop album could and should be. "4:44" is entirely focused both from a lyrical and a sonic perspective and the two mesh exceptionally well. It reminds me of classic albums from the late '80s where an album was treated as a body of work that was being worked equally hard on by both the artist and the producer to sound like a body of work that could stand on its own. From the first track "Killing JAY-Z" to the final song "Legacy" Jay-Z is telling the story of where he is at today, and it's brutally honest at the same time as it's packed with slick lines that I already noticed went straight over fuckers heads. And what's great is that the music in itself does so much in telling that very same story.

Jay-Z has built a career on being a tough business man who's great at talking slick to girls, loving to spend lavishly on designer brands and champagne and he can outrap almost anyone, and not only does he know it - he lets it be known. But what made Jay succesfull isn't only the ill flow, his fabolous lifestyle and fierce battle bars but also the little hints of honesty that allowed us to come close to Jigga and learn about him, faults and all. He was never as transparent as say Nas or DMX, far from it, but for almost every album he had a joint or two where he invited listeners into his world to let us partake in the world of the real Jay-Z. These records were often the stand-outs on each LP and I dare say that if it wasn't for these type of tracks he wouldn't have made it to the top. I'm talking songs like "You Must Love Me" (such a heartfelt verse, describing how he shot his own brother and just ran), "Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)", "Moment Of Clarity" and "Where Have You Been" (making up with the father that abandoned him), "D'Evils", "Regrets", "Lucky Me" and so on. I feel that since his 2006 comeback he has kind of shied away from these type of topics which in my opinion has hurt these proects somewhat. It's like they've been missing something.

With "4:44" I'm glad to say that JAY-Z is back in full efect and it's easy to see why he often comes up in discussions about the G.O.A.T. Hov is a grown man now, he is in Forbes magazine, he could care less about petty beef, and here he basically decided to do his most personal album yet, It's like a 36 minute therapy session, and the way thing starts is pure brilliance. With "Kill Jay-Z" he is admitting his faults and killing his ego to get to the bottom of Shawn Carter really is. There's quotable for days here as it's basically an older, more experienced man speaking to his younger self, explaining where he did go wrong. "The Story Of O.J." is another standout from the set which is directed to black people in the US, and once again also can be seen as a wiser Jay-Z speaking to a younger, more immature version of himself. He talks about managing our finances in a proper way, investing money and not flexing. The line "Y'all on the 'Gram holding money to your ear/ there's a disconnect, we don't call that money over here" is a classic Jay double entendre that could've been straight from "Reasonable Doubt". A lot of fools don't get how slick that line is, only hearing the "holding money to your ear on Instagram" flexing" line when its the lines that come after that really solidifies it at lyrical and worthy of recognition.

All through this NO ID certainly rises to the challenge and it's such a beautiful thing to just hear two artists vibing in the studio coming up with a really coherrent sound. TThey have worked before, but often with at least a gang of producers around - the one song I can think off that was just Jay and NO is "Death of Autotune", and matter of fact that wouldn't be too out o place here. Sonically that is. It's a great mixture of sampled gospel, soul and jazz classics and live instrumentation coupled with some real hard drums but the beats never got to busy to take the top spot from Jay-Z. He touches on so many honest topics here, from his mother's homosexuality and finall coming out the closet on the more laid-back but beautiful "Smile". There's the title track (see video above) which features a truly heartfelt apology from Hov to his wife for cheating repeatedly on here (as macho as Hip Hop is, could this be the first record of a man saying he is truly sorry for that). No ID again does a beautiful job of combining a repeated vocal sample that stretches out and finds the team in the melting pot between R&B and boom bap.

And that's halftime, but there's really no point in breaking down every song as this is as true an album as they come and I dare to say that 10 years from now this will be looked upon as one of Jay-Z's classics. And the same goes for NO ID as this was undoubtedly a team effort. It's a blessing that Jay-Z realized he doesn't need a million and one producers to make a hot album; just get one really talented guy that understands your vision and we're almost there. Lyrically this is a new chapter in Jay-Z's book and one that is very welcome, he's grown up and got some rich man problems but that doens't mean that he's gone soft on us. There's plenty of shit here for the average man to relate to and for the rest there's a lot of advice to be taken heed to. I really liked "American Gangster" but as that was a concept album perhaps it's more honest to say that is Jigga's best joint since "The Black Album" some 15 years ago. No matter how you feel about this man be sure to check it out ASAP and let's hope that more artists follow suit in letting one or two producers handle their whole album front to back.

claaa7
 
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Blood$

Re: JAY-Z - 4:44 (Official Discussion Thread)
« Reply #28 on: July 11, 2017, 01:23:35 PM »
so my copy that I bought brand new somehow had 2 big gashes on the back of the CD, needless to say I'm exchanging that  :grumpy:

the bonus tracks are dope though
 

Chamillitary Click

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Re: JAY-Z - 4:44 (Official Discussion Thread)
« Reply #29 on: July 13, 2017, 11:42:19 AM »
Still rocking with this heavy.