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The WireOct 11, 2017A few tracks stand apart: "Story Of OJ" and "Mercy Me" both impress for verve and venom if not his every chain of thought. Otherwise it's all so dry that after a couple of listens it feels more like spoken word. [Sep 2017, p.62]
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Aug 17, 2017A mere 36 minutes in length, it’s an all-killer no-filler triumph.
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Aug 14, 2017Already one of the greatest rappers in history, this is the kind of late career artistic push that will cement Jay-Z’s place on rap’s Mount Rushmore. This is Jay-Z walking onto the stage alone, standing contritely in front of the world, and speaking from the heart, revealing himself in order to heal.
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Aug 2, 2017While this project falls short of his more seminal offerings, 4:44 is among JAY-Z’s more meaningful bodies of work to date and showcases another dimension of the greatest rapper alive.
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Q MagazineAug 1, 2017It's 10 tracks are produced by veteran Chicagoan No ID, who provides a consistently soulful feel for the rapper's reflection on family, fatherhood and fidelity. [Sep 2017, p.110]
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Jul 13, 2017There's not a wasted moment on this rare Jay-Z album that's too taut and focused for crossover singles or distractions from its central thesis. He takes 4:44 seriously but doesn't forget to have fun along on the way.
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Jul 11, 2017It’s reality music, and while obviously tailored around the life and times of Shawn Carter, offers so many narratives that the common man can relate to in astounding measures.
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Jul 10, 2017While 4:44 may not be his greatest album, it is a much valued deviation from the norm, a surprising feat considering his kaleidoscopic catalog
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Jul 6, 2017There are several JAY-Z albums that are superior in terms of musical creativity, but never has the man behind the Roc chain been more prolific in thought. It’s catharsis on steroids, walking the tightrope between FYI and TMI.
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Jul 6, 20174:44 is captivating because it both upholds that version of himself and buckles beneath its weight.
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Jul 6, 20174:44 nonetheless is an unglamorous set well suited for solitary and reflective late-night listening. There are no radio play bids. Jay-Z has been in this mode at various points, but never in such concentrated, enlightened form, whether the subject is his mistakes as a husband, the struggles of his long-closeted lesbian mother, the effects of enduring systemic racism, or the assertion of his supremacy.
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Jul 6, 20174:44 is a breathtaking cycle about a man wrestling with his moral failings in real time, not always winning, trying to live his Mondays closer to what he preaches Sunday as he prepares for 50.
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Jul 5, 2017Lyrically, 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.
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Jul 5, 2017His occasional lack of vocal grace is the reason why 4:44 is so mesmerizing.
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Jul 5, 2017Whether he's taking himself to task, tossing shots in every direction (see: ‘Bam’), or simply reminiscing as on the glorious glide of ‘Marcy Me’, he sounds perfectly at home. ... 4:44 presents a renewed Jay-Z.
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Jul 5, 2017He’s evolved from dazzling taunts to ruminations that are sometimes snappy and sometimes lumpy. When snappy, though, they’re exhilarating.
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Jul 5, 20174:44 is a refreshing, full-circle moment for hip-hop lovers--and a true pleasure to hear.
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Jul 5, 20174:44 is intimate, refined and mature--fascinating partly despite its flaws and partly because of them.
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Jul 5, 2017Even if the Beyoncé-Jay Z marital saga falls short of being a feminist revelation, there are plenty of instances where Jay Z pushes mainstream hip-hop narratives forward: For instance, he sweetly celebrates his mother, an out lesbian, on “Smile.” And while other rappers boast about fast money, he discusses the importance of investing in order to create lasting wealth for generations to come.
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Jul 5, 2017He surveys ideas on wealth and success with a confidence that makes even his most clumsy boasts about not going ham on the ’Gram seem sophisticated. Rap’s biggest winner coolly sustains his biggest losses.
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Jul 5, 20174:44 is just about the safest way Jay-Z could have re-asserted his dominance: smarter raps over soulful beats over a very concise runtime.
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Jul 5, 2017A far more thoughtful album than the glossy and disconnected Magna Carta Holy Grail, it’s a 36-minute confessional that attempts to bring JAY-Z’s narrative full circle.
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Jul 5, 2017It is a short, sharp album, produced entirely by Kanye West’s former mentor No ID.
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Jul 2, 20174:44 offers renewed hope for fans who, since Kingdom Come, have felt increasingly disenfranchised by Jay-Z’s loss of touch with his roots and apparent marginalisation of his rap career.
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Jul 2, 2017JAY-Z tries to invigorate his musical career by connecting with himself for other people's sake. In total, it sounds like what it is, a business leader for whom the personal proves troublingly difficult to connect with.
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Jun 30, 2017As remarkably immediate as it is, though, 4:44 feels durable in a manner that few tweets do; it’s a collection of songs--sly but moving, both intricate and lucid--that we’ll be coming back to for years.
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Jun 30, 2017These heartfelt, confessional apologies are delivered via Jay’s most concise, straightforward album in years. 10 tracks and 36 minutes long, this is a filler-free return to form after 2013’s patchy and bloated ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’.
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Jun 30, 2017What is on offer for the rap fans who simply don’t care about Jay-Z’s personal life? Truthfully, not much. It’s a likable headphone album for the backpack-rap crowd, deliberately avoiding the sort of club anthem that might spoil the vibe.
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Jun 30, 2017With a rare display of vulnerability and contrition, grace and grown-up wisdom, Jay Z has delivered one of the most mature albums in hip hop history.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 316 out of 405
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Mixed: 26 out of 405
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Negative: 63 out of 405
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Jun 30, 2017
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Jun 30, 2017
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Jun 30, 2017