Healing Is Not Linear And Sometimes That’s Not Comforting
Healing is a messy journey, and journeys—sometimes long and unbearable—do always lead to a destination. My favorite album by Beyoncé is Lemonade. A Black Southern gothic masterpiece, the album is an ode to Black women who experience heartbreak, who mourn, who
Bops For Marching The Wealthy To The Guillotines
We’ve seen enough performative bullshit come from wealthy celebrities in social isolation, so we put together a playlist to inspire protest. The last few days on social media have been very… weird. Particularly with the overwhelming amount of wealthy celebrities who
The Sleepy Hollow-ing of American Gods
There is still time for American Gods to avoid its impending implosion. But if Sleepy Hollow taught us anything, it’s that we probably shouldn’t hold our Black-ass breaths. There’s no denying it. Television has experienced quite a boom in the last
Jay-Z’s 4:44 is apologetic, but it doesn’t fully delve into toxic masculinity
4:44 is a raw look into Jay-Z’s mind. He offers explanations and apologies for years of toxic behavior.
Last week, Jay-Z's 13th studio album, "4:44" was released. It's the response that folks had been waiting for ever since Beyoncé's visual album, "Lemonade" dropped last year. The album chronicled the experiences of a woman betrayed by her lover and ultimately fighting through the sorrow to mend the relationship and move forward with a stronger bond. Of course, everyone began speculating whether or not Bey was alluding to her relationship with Jay. I knew "4:44" had to be juicy because the number 4 is very significant in Jay and Bey’s lives–they were both born on the fourth day of their birth months and they were married on April 4th. Bey was most vulnerable on her 4th solo studio album, so Jay is following the theme. It’s also mad creepy that he woke up at 4:44 am to write the title track. [caption id="attachment_46839" align="aligncenter" width="400"]
Jay-Z's 13th studio album, 4:44.[/caption]
Jay Z’s "4:44" is a similar yet less masterfully executed attempt at relating to his fanbase and revealing his alter egos and vulnerability. He tries to outline the dissociation of Jay-Z and Hov with Shawn Carter, as evidenced by the leading track "Kill Jay-Z" and his seventh track "Bam". While Beyoncé’s introspective journey through love and identity lasted a little over an hour, Jay’s was nearly half that, deliberately coming in at around 35 minutes. The brevity could very well represent the toxic relationship that Black men have to masculinity–where even their most vulnerable moments occur in eclipses.
In 35 minutes, Jay reveals and apologizes for decades of mental and emotional abuse that he put his wife through, mostly articulated in the title track "4:44". Seeing that they’ve been going at this love game since 2001/2002, he admits “took me too long for this song. I don’t deserve you”. He describes living and growing up in the projects and his progression to the over $800 million net worth that he boasts today. This album arguably encompasses four themes: introspection/apologies; industry commentary; personal growth & development and Black wealth (both individual and generational).
Related: DO IT LOOK LIKE I WAS LEFT OFF BAD AND BOUJEE?
With “Lemonade,” Beyoncé Mixed an Elixir That Brought Me Back to Myself
Lemonade tore me apart and stitched me back together. I was enthralled. I was relieved. I was finally feeling something other than pain again. When Beyoncé released her sixth album, Lemonade, last year, I was in the fog of one of my worst