JAY-Z has been giving fans nothing short of an all around work of art with his latest album 4:44 and the latest short film is no exception.
The beautiful and chaotic film features viral clips, interviews, and performances with artists ranging from Jean-Michel Basquiat to Eartha Kitt and Al Green, each giving their interpretation of love and what it means to be in it.
The visual, released at 4:44 pm, also features clips of Jay and wife Beyonce on stage in concert, but the point of view is that of someone reminiscing over life and what was actually at risk. Driving home the point he so clearly conveyed in the song, Jay utilizes his artistic side to showcase the harsh reality that we have all come to know, love is rare in a world full of chaos.
The “4:44” short is the second full length visual released off the album. The first video, “The Story of OJ,” is still making heads spin after Hov utilized images channeling cartoons from the 1940s and 1950s, featuring a lot of racially charged imagery which complimented the point he intended to make with the Nina Simone-sampled track. Not one to stop there, JAY-Z also dropped the footnotes to the video featuring appearances by Van Jones, Chris Rock, Michael Che, Kendrick Lamar, and more as they discuss what it means to be Black in America.
In other JAY-Z news, 4:44 is now available on Apple Music. As HipHop-N-More reports, Tidal’s seven-day exclusivity officially ended Thursday (Jul 6) one week after the release of 4:44. In addition to garnering critical acclaim, the project has also become a commercial success. Despite its Tidal exclusivity, 4:44 was able to go platinum within a week.
For those who prefer to the old-school method of physical copies, 4:44 officially hit stores Friday (Jul 7). The physical version includes three bonus tracks: “MaNyfaCedGod” featuring James Blake, “Blue’s Freestyle / We Family,” and the previously teased track “Adnis.”
Check out the “4:44” short courtesy of Tidal below.
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