4:44 Album - *JAY-Z* (06/30/17).
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slickwatts wrote: »There are a couple of Nina Simone samples – were those from Jay-Z's playlist?
Yes, that was definitely him. He put both of those on there. That's the score to his life. That's the core reason for using them. There's a million things to sample that could sound good.
This is where switching up the process helped me. Maybe before I go, "We can't use two Nina Simones! We can't use Steve Wonder!" But that's what he wanted. I left it up to him to do the rest of the business. It freed me up to just be creative and be told, "this is what I want." It's challenging as well.
"I held up classic albums and said, 'What were the good parts and what were the mistakes?'"
At what point did it become clear that this was going to be an album and it was actually going to come out?
We got heavy into it by accident. The first time it happened, I sent him the "? Jay-Z" record, and he called Guru, who happened to be in town, and that was the first record. But then the holidays happened. We both went away for the holidays. He had already asked me to work on Vic Mensa's album. I was juggling working on both of them. When we came back in January, we get deep in. Then I had to go for Chicago for a month because my dad had a spill at home and he was in the hospital. We took a good month off there. In March, I got back and we got back into the full stride. We had intended on dropping it on 4/4. That was the plan. Unfortunate circumstances slowed it down.
But it helped us in the sense that it gave us more time to make some really important records. A lot of the thought process was, I held up classic albums and said, "What were the good parts and what were the mistakes?" Sometimes these classics, the continuity is what makes them classic, and then you have these examples of reaching for the single or the radio record. Albums I was pointing to were like Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, Confessions by Usher, [Jay-Z's] The Blueprint, [Nas'] Illmatic, [Kanye West's] My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I analyzed the mistakes and tried not to make those mistakes. We wanted 10 really good songs where at no point are you like, "I know what you're trying to do, you could've kept that one." Sometimes you look back 10 years later and you go, "I see why you did it then, but 'No, thanks' today." By March, we were into that [process].
So the concise 10-song length was important for that purpose?
Yes. There's three more songs that are coming out as bonuses. James Blake came in and joined into the process. There's more coming shortly that's equally as revealing.
That was a dope read. Less is more -
Allhiphop is the only hip hop site that would ban people from a tribute Prodigy thread (cracka admins does not care)
Secondly ahh is the only hip hop site that would say that Nas last good album was Stillmatic
Now you can ban me forever I already signed up on two other hip hop sites.
? all ya ? admins son of ?
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Busta Carmichael wrote: »That Al sharpton pic is barely 2 weeks old.
Got me wondering how long it took for Jay to make this album
Probably one of the last songs he recorded. But wjen you in a zone you knock ? out with minimal effort. -
Life is Good has four dope songs, Intro, Locomotive, Daughters and Bye Baby but like most Nas albums post It Was Written, nuff of the album cuts were just bland and forgettable.
I think the two albums make for good comparison but like I said before, I think 4:44 is better -
Jay got the goat discography and this album shows it let another rapper drop a album like this like Kdot or Cole or hell even Nas and ? would call it a instant classic but with Jay this is barely in his top 5 albums
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I see people comparing this to AG a lot but to me its more like a follow up to BP1. From the soulful samples and loops to the way he raps about his standing in the game his achievements and personal life. Not saying its as good as BP was but it got a similar vibe
I agree as far as being compared to BP1. that his bars were simple bit hit hard and got the story he was trying to come off perfectly -
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Elzo69Renaissance wrote: »Now all we need is another unplugged....this a Jazz album will translate well to live instruments
Man this ×100!!!! -
Tommy bilfiger wrote: »Dogowner14 wrote: »Damn now ? gonna claim Jay got better discography than Nas..
I hope this new Nas album gonna be a classic
Jigga been had a better catalog.Nas hasn't dropped a good album since stillmatic
Foh you insecure ?
Once you figure out that 444 is Jay admitting that Nas was right on ether (Jigga didn't want to be embarrassed by girls)...you will accept that Nas is the goat
I said that in here when it first dropped. Think i got laughed at lol. As far as him talking about what a loss is. -
Dogowner14 wrote: »Allhiphop is the only hip hop site that would ban people from a tribute Prodigy thread (cracka admins does not care)
Secondly ahh is the only hip hop site that would say that Nas last good album was Stillmatic
Now you can ban me forever I already signed up on two other hip hop sites.
? all ya ? admins son of ?
Who is this ? ? -
Busta Carmichael wrote: »Bruh Nas came out with two good albums and dropped duds until Jay had to slap his ass with takeover.
Then he dropped two ok albums and continued dropping duds.
Just your choice of words in "good" two albums shows your bias opinion. I Am and Nastradamus are good albums to real ? that can listen and hear music, not just skim through it.
This a waste of time. Forget all this
4:44 is fine music. That OJ video gon be taught in colleges -
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Busta Carmichael wrote: »Where do we rank this one?
American gangsta
Watch the throne
4:44
Blueprint
Reasonable doubt
Vol 2
Blueprint 2
Dynasty -
Like Water wrote: »power_wisdom wrote: »slickwatts wrote: »Blatant example of the fuckery hov talking about....
https://youtu.be/lMUTIuSnDXY
In the 90s this video would have been a parody. ? in their late 40s putting out the best albums. Jay, Common, Eiht, Ross, Rae.
Man, Black America Again was so overlooked that it ? me off. I'm convinced Common will never get his just due. Same way I felt about TDTB.
Bruh, agree 100%. This album made me go back and listen to TDTB again. That album was incredible and does not get enough respect. -
Great album with dope lyrics & production. Second best album of the year, in my opinion. The first half of 2017 has been really good so far.
1.Kendrick Lamar: Damn
2.Jay-Z : 4:44
3. Joey Badass: All Amerikkkan...
4. Lupe Fiasco: Drogas Light
Looking forward to Nas, Schoolboy Q and Jay Rock for the rest of 2017. -
The jigga warriors are in full force I see.
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Dogowner14 wrote: »Allhiphop is the only hip hop site that would ban people from a tribute Prodigy thread (cracka admins does not care)
Secondly ahh is the only hip hop site that would say that Nas last good album was Stillmatic
Now you can ban me forever I already signed up on two other hip hop sites.
? all ya ? admins son of ?
Bruh you should be permabanned for what u said about kids.
You claim you're 35 years old and you out here talking with 12-14 year old girls?
There's a reason illbot keep clapping you. -
? saying TBA and BP1 better than RD. Get off those perks my ? . BP was classic but had two wack songs on it and BA was good. Key word good. Have to sit with 4:44 a couple more times. Might be better than BP. Already crushes The Black Album. And AG>TBA
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Madame_CJSkywalker wrote: »don't get the bp3 hate
wasn't prime jay
but a good majority of the tracks i thought were good to great
a star is born
so ambitious
already home
what we talkin about
as real as it gets
thank you
real talk BP3 was a personal favorite
already home still goes to this day
shout out Cudi -
Busta Carmichael wrote: »Dogowner14 wrote: »Allhiphop is the only hip hop site that would ban people from a tribute Prodigy thread (cracka admins does not care)
Secondly ahh is the only hip hop site that would say that Nas last good album was Stillmatic
Now you can ban me forever I already signed up on two other hip hop sites.
? all ya ? admins son of ?
Bruh you should be permabanned for what u said about kids.
You claim you're 35 years old and you out here talking with 12-14 year old girls?
There's a reason illbot keep clapping you.
Wait...is that the ? ass ? who I think it is? -
Busta Carmichael wrote: »Dogowner14 wrote: »Allhiphop is the only hip hop site that would ban people from a tribute Prodigy thread (cracka admins does not care)
Secondly ahh is the only hip hop site that would say that Nas last good album was Stillmatic
Now you can ban me forever I already signed up on two other hip hop sites.
? all ya ? admins son of ?
Bruh you should be permabanned for what u said about kids.
You claim you're 35 years old and you out here talking with 12-14 year old girls?
There's a reason illbot keep clapping you.
Wait...is that the ? ass ? who I think it is?
Yup sure is -
Breezy_Kilroy wrote: »DarthRozay wrote: »MasterJayN100 wrote: »
who did Ye give 20 mill to tho?
I think he's talking to himself.
allegedly Jay gave Ye 20M to stay loyal to Tidal. He obviously didn't
In turn Ye went on stage and ranted for 20 minutes about Jay and their relationship.
didnt know this that ol unloyal bitchmade fool
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@Busta Carmichael you know he's not 35 tho bruh, I mean it's still creepy even if he's only 17 but he ain't that damn old
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power_wisdom wrote: »? saying TBA and BP1 better than RD. Get off those perks my ? . BP was classic but had two wack songs on it and BA was good. Key word good. Have to sit with 4:44 a couple more times. Might be better than BP. Already crushes The Black Album. And AG>TBA
What are the two wack songs on blueprint? -
Dogowner14 wrote: »Allhiphop is the only hip hop site that would ban people from a tribute Prodigy thread (cracka admins does not care)
Secondly ahh is the only hip hop site that would say that Nas last good album was Stillmatic
Now you can ban me forever I already signed up on two other hip hop sites.
? all ya ? admins son of ?