Universal Music South Africa is proud to announce that the long awaited 13th studio album from veteran rapper & songwriter, Jay-Z, ‘4:44’, will have physical copies available for purchase from Friday, 7 July 2017.
South Africa celebrated the release of this exciting album with an exclusive listening session on Wednesday, 5 July 2017, courtesy of Universal Music South Africa, in partnership with TRACE Urban. The event was hosted by TV personalities DJ Warras and Nomuzi, at Harem (Private Room) in Rosebank.
Guests enjoyed the 13-track album that was initially released on Friday, 30 June 2017, exclusively on Jay-Z’s subscription-based music streaming service, TIDAL. Since its release, ‘4:44’ has achieved platinum sales status, making
Jay-Z the only hip-hop artist to have 13 platinum solo albums. A true historical achievement for any artist!
Executively produced by his long-time friend No I.D., the album sees Jay-Z take a pro-black stance as he discusses the importance of building generational wealth in the black community on songs such as; ‘The Story of O.J.’ and ‘Legacy’.
He also addresses the intergenerational conflicts in hip-hop in ‘Family Feud’ and fans finally get hear what has been termed as his response to his wife, Beyoncé’s, ‘Lemonade’ in the title track ‘4:44’. According to Rolling Stone Magazine it is a “remarkable outburst of apology and self-abasement, after Beyoncé appeared to discuss the rapper’s infidelity on Lemonade last year.” The rapper wrote the song at 4:44am and has referred to it as the crux of the album.
Speaking with iHeartRadio, Jay-Z explained the origins of 4:44’s title, if not the fraught emotions at its core. “I woke up, literally, at 4:44 in the morning, 4:44 a.m., to write this song,” he recalled. “So it became the title of the album and everything. It’s the title track because it’s such a powerful song, and I just believe one of the best songs I’ve ever written.”
“4:44” has been viewed as Jay-Z’s most personal and politic body of work, as the rapper created the album from a place of honesty and vulnerability. Listeners around the global have dissected and analysed the lyrical content on ‘4:44’ and the album is finally available for all to hear.
Digital copies of the album ‘4:44’ are available for purchase on iTunes and Apple Music, Google Play and other digital platforms. Physical copies are available from your nearest music store.
The album is currently available digitally here: https://umgafrica.lnk.to/JayZ4PR