Jay Z has just dropped his new album “4:44.” It’s been advertised for a few weeks. But the album is only available right now on his Tidal streaming service and to Spring customers.
Among the collaborators is Jay Z’s mom, Gloria Carter. She joins him on a track called “Smile.” And on this track Jay Z reveals what has been an open secret: his mom is gay.
He raps: “Mama had four kids/She’s a lesbian/Had to pretend so long/She’s a lesbian/Had to hide in the closet/she’s a lesbian”
As Gloria is featured on the track, she’s obviously cool with it. This will be a surprise to most of Jay Z’s fans. (Frankly, I never thought about his parents because Beyonce’s parents are always in the news.) But it’s all good, and will certainly be of interest in the LGBT community. Jay Z’s dad skipped out when he was very young, his mom raised four kids on her own. It looks like she did a damn good job.
But as Jay Z adds two children to his family, this most interesting fellow sounds like he’s grappling with a bunch of new subjects on “4:44.” On the closing track, Called “Legacy,” daughter Blue Ivy asks, “Daddy, what is a will?”
Other guests include Damian Marley and Frank Ocean. No sign of Beyonce on the collection.
Frankly all the short clips of the songs sound great. The music is all sampled, but it sounds very very good. Can’t wait til next week when it hits regular services.
