4:44

4:44 is the fourteenth studio album and thirteenth solo album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on June 30, 2017 through Roc Nation. The album is solely produced by No I.D. with additional production from Jay-Z. The album features guest appearances from Frank Ocean, Damian Marley, Beyoncé and Jay-Z's mother, Gloria Carter. 4:44 was released as an exclusive to Sprint and Tidal customers, and is the first in a planned series of music exclusives from the Sprint-Tidal partnership. A physical release has been confirmed and will include the three bonus tracks.
4:44 was teased after posters were displayed in New York City and Los Angeles, as well as banner ads started appearing on the Internet. A one-minute teaser ad was aired during the NBA Finals on June 7 featuring actors Mahershala Ali, Lupita Nyong'o and Danny Glover, ending with "4:44 – 6.30.17, Exclusively on Tidal". On June 18 (Father's Day), a clip titled "Adnis" was posted on Sprint's YouTube page. Adnis was Jay-Z's father's name. A second teaser trailer was released on June 27 titled, "Kill Jay Z", featuring a young man with a "Stay Black" T-shirt. A third one followed on June 28 titled, "MaNyfaCedGod", featuring Lupita Nyong'o crying hysterically on the floor.
No I.D. says Jay-Z approached him about working together, and initially declined. He cited feeling "uninspired" and "didn't think  had anything at the time" but talks about researching Quincy Jones as inspiration to begin work with Jay-Z. It is the first time Jay-Z has worked with one producer for an album. No I.D. states he "began to play the samples like I would play an instrument." To get inspiration for 4:44, No I.D. pointed to albums such as, What's Going On by Marvin Gaye, Confessions by Usher, The Blueprint by Jay-Z, Illmatic by Nas, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West, saying he "analyzed the mistakes and tried not to make those mistakes."
"4:44" was written when Jay-Z woke up one morning at 4:44 AM, and recorded at his house using Beyoncé's mic. Stereogum writer Tom Breihan calls the track, "one long, tearful, soul-ripped-open apology.
In April 2016, Beyoncé, Jay-Z's wife, released her sixth studio album, Lemonade. Lyrically, it alleged that Jay-Z was unfaithful. Many critics have noted that 4:44 is a response to Lemonade, with Jay-Z referencing lines from Lemonade, such as the "You better call Becky with the good hair" line on Beyoncé's "Sorry", with Jay-Z retorting, "Leave me alone, Becky" in "Family Feud".
Rolling Stone writes, "Jay-Z takes a pro-black stance, addresses intergenerational conflicts in hip-hop and talks about marital troubles after many had interpreted lines for his wife Beyoncé's 2016 album Lemonade as alluding to infidelity".
The album contains samples such as, Stevie Wonder's "Love's in Need of Love Today", Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free", and Nina Simone's "Four Women" and "Baltimore". Elia Leight of Rolling Stone notes 4:44 is "sample-heavy at a time when so much of rap has moved away from that sound". Lyrically, Jay-Z touches on an array of topics such as his friendship with Kanye West, his infidelity, his mother being a lesbian, and the people in charge of Prince's estate, among others.