Jay Z Apologizes to Beyonc in New Album 444
Jay Z appears to have finally responded to what was widely perceived as his infidelity in his marriage to Beyonc on his new album 444. On the album's title track "444," he even explicitly says "I apologize.", Released at midnight on his streaming music service TIDAL just two weeks after the pair welcomed twins, Jay Z also uses 444 to reflect on his accomplishments and experiences as a black man in America. The release marks the "semi-retired" rapper's return to form nearly four years after the mogul dropped Magna Carta Holy Grail. "Kill Jay Z," the first song on the rapper's highly anticipated 13th studio album, references the widely circulated video of his sister-in-law Solange attacking him in an elevator at the Met Gala after party at the Standard Hotel in New York City in May 2014. On"444 Jay Z apologizes to Beyonc for a number of injustices, even appearing to allude to his alleged cheating, a prominent theme of Beyonc's critically acclaimed album Lemonade. The pop star has been vocal about a miscarriage. He continues, Just like the mogul appeared in Beyonc's "All Night" video during the redemptive portion of Lemonade, Beyonc's background vocals appear on the song "Family Feud," which lists her as a co-writer. "My wife in the crib feeding my kids liquid gold, we in a whole different mode," Jay raps, before directly referencing "Becky with the good hair." On the Lemonade better-off-without-him anthem "Sorry," Becky is presented as a woman with whom Jay cheated. It's still unclear whether Beyonce's Lemonade album was an autobiographical tale of survival in the wake of infidelity or an elaborate fictional story about betrayal. Whatever the inspiration, the Beyhive  the pop star's dedicated fanbase  and the media dedicated much energy to finding "Becky.", Jay Z later gets topical, touching on the MoonlightLa La Land snafu at the Oscars. In addition to his wife, the album also features vocals from guests artists like Kim Burrell, Damien Marley and Frank Ocean. You can stream 444 at TIDAL.