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Originally Posted by evollove
Do you mean to include a DNA link?
Anyway, don't worry. I take him seriously as an artist and I promise I will eventually listen to everything he's done.
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I'm sort of confused by 4:44. Actually, just confused by Jay-Z, because I found the music itself to be interesting (except for the handful of pop single songs).
First, technique-wise, I don't get it. He's not even really rapping most of the time. Just reciting. If I can fucking do it, is it any good?
Second, I'm not that familiar with his life, so I have a hard time caring about a lot of the songs. I forget the song, but I was really turned off when he regretted not buying a $2 million piece of property. Poor fellow. And I didn't even really care that much that he cheated on his wife.
Anything can be made interesting, but I had a hard time finding any space in his lyrics to invest any deep interest.
But my listen was just a brief run-through, not a thorough, concentrated effort, so maybe something will click with more attention.
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I appreciate Eminem a lot more than you do, but yeah, that song straight up sucks.
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Ok, 4:44 is an album for people who love Jay-Z and have listened to him for years. Like... exclusively. I can’t think of any other explanation, because there are references to his past and his life that only a fan would even understand.
It’s also an album for fans of a certain kind of hip-hop... a kind of hip-hop that Jay has only really done a couple times in his career, usually with the assistance of a famous producers... it’s for lyrical hip-hop fans. People who openly dislike mumble rap, and want more intelligence and consciousness in their rap.
It’s for fans of Tribe, early Lupe, Mos Def, early Kanye, Fugees, etc.
I promise it’s a good album. Just spin it a bit. And if you don’t know Jay, maybe get to know Jay.
Here’s a primer on Jay-Z, containing all the meat and none of the fat... listen to these albums or put them in your streaming library:
Reasonable Doubt
The Blueprint
The Black Album
American Gangster
Blueprint 3
Watch the Throne (more of a Kanye album, but still has some of the best Jay-Z shit ever)
And don’t forget these singles:
• “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” (from a largely forgettable album, but a genius pop hip-hop song. You’ve heard it, but you need to be able to appreciate it.
And...
• “Brooklyn Go Hard” from the Notorious soundtrack. This is my favorite Jay song ever. Produced by Kanye. Actually I don’t think it’s available as a single, but stream that shut, because it definitely deserves a spot in the primer.