Maps of Music

4:44 (2017)

Where the lyrics of 4:44 take you, and where it was really made.

The album was first released as an exclusive for Sprint and Tidal customers, yet it debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and became Jay-Z's 14th chart-topping album.

Key places

No I.D.'s home studio in Hollywood (2017)

Recording site The Music Grinder (Hollywood) — Most of 4:44 was recorded in producer No I.D.'s home studio in Hollywood. The recording ran from December 2016 to June 2017. The point sits at the Hollywood city centre, not at the exact house. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• 4:44: thirteenth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z
• Released June 30, 2017 through Roc Nation
• First released as an exclusive for Sprint and Tidal customers
• Free digital download on Tidal's site from July 2 for a limited time
• Physical edition released July 7 with three additional tracks
• Same day, the album became available on Apple Music, Google Play Music and Amazon Music
• First in a planned series of music exclusives from the Sprint–Tidal partnership, which never came to fruition after Sprint's demise in 2020

Background

• Like Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013), 4:44 was not preceded by any singles
• June 2017 posters in New York City, Los Angeles and Miami, plus internet banner ads, teased the release
• A one-minute teaser ad aired during the NBA Finals on June 7
• Teaser clips followed on Father's Day and in late June
• Guest appearances from Frank Ocean, Damian Marley, Beyoncé and Gloria Carter
• Additional vocals from Blue Ivy Carter, James Fauntleroy, Kim Burrell and The-Dream
• Production by No I.D., with additional contributions by Jay-Z
• James Blake and Dominic Maker contributed production to the bonus tracks

Recording

• Recording ran from December 2016 to June 2017
• The album was largely recorded in No I.D.'s home studio in Hollywood
• No I.D. said he began to play the samples like an instrument
• Samples span many genres, including funk, progressive rock, reggae, hip-hop and soul
• The title track samples the 2016 record Late Nights and Heartbreaks by Hannah Williams and The Affirmations
• Lyrical themes include family life, relationships, stereotypes and racism

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Shawn Corey Carter, born December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York City.
• Raised in Marcy Houses in Bedford–Stuyvesant; mother Gloria Carter raised him and his three older siblings after his father left when he was 11.
• Dropped out of Trenton Central High School during his sophomore year.
• Adopted the stage name Jay-Z in homage to his mentor Jaz-O.

Career

• Began recording in the late 1980s, contributing verses to Jaz-O's records.
• Co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records; debut album Reasonable Doubt (1996) was critically acclaimed.
• Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (1998) became his most commercially successful album, certified 6× Platinum in the US.
• The Blueprint (2001) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
• Led Def Jam Recordings as president and CEO from 2004 to 2007.
• Founded Roc Nation in 2008 and later 4:44 (2017) and Everything Is Love with Beyoncé (2018).
• Has 25 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The album was widely acclaimed by critics, who praised its emotional and personal content
• Daily Telegraph's Neil McCormick gave the album a perfect score, calling it a highly personal work
• Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos called it a stunning, raw and mature apology
• Pitchfork named the album Best New Music; reviewer Sheldon Pearce called it personal and diamond-sharp
• Rolling Stone's Elia Leight noted the album is sample-heavy at a time when so much of rap had moved away from that sound

Reappraisal

• Metacritic gave the album universal acclaim with a weighted average of 82 out of 100 from 29 critic scores
• At the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, the album received a nomination for Album of the Year
• The title track was nominated for Song of the Year, and The Story of O.J. was nominated for Record of the Year

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 262,000 album-equivalent units in its first week
• Of those units, 174,000 were pure album sales, according to Nielsen Soundscan
• Jay-Z's 14th number one album
• Stayed at number one in its second week, earning 87,000 more units
• Certified platinum by the RIAA on July 5, 2017, for sales of over a million units, including copies Sprint bought for free distribution
• By the end of 2017, the album had 639,000 album-equivalent units in the United States, with 399,000 pure sales
• Ranked 36th on the Billboard 200 year-end chart for 2017

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album's first listening parties were held at participating Sprint stores on June 29, 2017.
• Music videos were released for every song except Caught Their Eyes.
• Jay-Z and No I.D. built a playlist based on Jay-Z's taste and sampled some of its songs; Jay-Z later posted it on Tidal as 4:44 Inspired By.
• The title track was written when Jay-Z woke up one morning at 4:44 am.
• Kill Jay Z is about killing his ego, Jay Z (without hyphen), featured on his previous album Magna Carta Holy Grail.
• Many critics saw the album as a response to Lemonade, but No I.D. said making the whole album a response was not the intention.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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