Jay-Z's Tidal also donated a reported $1.5 million to the Black Lives Matter movement in 2016 and hosted a social justice film in February to mark the fifth anniversary of black teenager Trayvon Martin's death.
In 2015, it was reported the rapper and Beyoncé donated money to bail out protesters rallying against police brutality in Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri. In the four years since Jay-Z last released a new record, he has remained relatively quiet on social issues-preferring to speak through action instead. since President Donald Trump succeeded Obama in the White House. The optics that we've seen so far indicate a celebration of the achievements of black America the 4 represents Beyoncé, the 44 Obama, and we shouldn't forget the inclusion of Mahershala Ali and Lupita Nyong'o, both recent Academy Award winners.īut when you consider the radical social and political upheaval in America since the last time Jay-Z released an album, which was in 2013, 4:44 will probably also touch on themes of police brutality (as Beyoncé did on Lemonade), dwindling welfare and health care access for the poorest members of society and political progressin the U.S. The likeliest theory is that 4:44 isn't just an homage to Beyoncé and Obama, specifically, but a musical commentary on Black Lives Matter. Could the rapper's new opus be half-personal, half-political? Maybe the 4 half of the album is a response to the themes of love and infidelity on Beyoncé's Grammy-nominated Lemonade? The 4 in 4:44 has personal connotations specific to Jay-Z and Beyoncé's relationship and marriage. Perhaps Jay's thirteenth album is a musical tribute to Obama's service as president, as well as a celebration of him being the first ever black president. If we read the title figuratively, it could mean "For 44," as in for Barack Obama. Now, a few theories about what 4:44 could mean. The Obamas welcomed the couple to the White House several times, too, so there's no shortage of love between them. There's also a personal friendship between the Obamas and the Carters Beyoncé performed at Obama's inaugural ball in January 2009 and sung the national anthem at his second inauguration in 2013. After all, rap itself is extremely poetic- something Jay-Z once pointed out. Unless Obama has secretly dropped a rap mixtape in the last several years, let's assume Jay is praising the poetic nature of Obama's various presidential speeches over the years. He was the 44th president in American history. "Thank you 44," he wrote, expressing gratitude for Obama's eight years as U.S. Dre, to contemporary chart toppers like Drake and Chance the Rapper.īut he then followed up with a shout out to the "greatest rapper of all time"-Barack Obama:Īnd the greatest rapper of all time OBAMA. Jay mentioned all of the influential artists from Tupac Shakur, to Dr.
#Jay z 444 series#
In a series of rare tweets on June 16, Jay-Z- promising he's not drunk -paid tribute to rappers past and present that have influenced him.
Ivy appears to be a reference to IV, the Roman numeral for the number. My mother's birthday, and a lot of my friends' birthdays, are on the fourth April 4 is my wedding date."īey and Jay's firstborn, Blue Ivy, also shares the connection with the number 4-in her name. Promoting the record she explained the importance of the number to Billboard, saying: "We all have special numbers in our lives, and 4 is that for me.
In 2011, Beyoncé titled her fourth studio album 4. The couple were married on April 4, 2008, which means their anniversary is 4/4 each year. (Bey's mother, Tina Lawson, also has a birthday on January 4.) Jay-Z's birthday is December 4, while Beyoncé's is September 4. It holds plenty of special meaning to both Jay-Z and Beyoncé. The 4 in 4:44 is the easiest to decipher. Meanwhile 44 appears to be a reference to the 44th president of the United States-Barack Obama. That suggests the rapper is following his superstar wife Beyoncé's lead and releasing a visual album.īut what does 4:44 mean, exactly? The number 4 has a deep and personal meaning to Jay-Z and Beyoncé.
#Jay z 444 movie#
The clip teased that 4:44 is a Tidal movie featuring Mahershala Ali and Lupita Nyong'o, both of whom are Oscar winners. Then came a televised trailer during Game 3 of the NBA finals on June 7.
In the last several weeks, cryptic billboards reading "4:44" have popped up in major cities around the world. The official announcement came Monday after more than a month of speculation. On June 30, 4:44, Hov's thirteenth studio album, will be released exclusively by Tidal and Sprint, which bought a third of Jay's streaming platform in January. But paternity duty hasn't stopped him from cooking up a new album. Jay-Z (yes, the hyphen is back ) has just become a father again, after wife Beyoncé gave birth to twins on Saturday.