4:44 The Maturation of Jay-Z
It's Friday the 30th of June 2017, the release date of the highly anticipated 4:44, the 13th studio album by Jay-Z. Barely noon, 11:44 to be precise. I have let the album play a few times over now, and a wave of emotion has consumed in this very moment! Not sadness, not joy, but a wave of recompense is the word that I would use to aptly describe it! I recompense is a strong word, however I feel the fraternity of Jigga's loyalist fans were somewhat short changed with his 2 previous releases; "Watch the Throne" and "Magna Carta Holy Grail". They were very much in sync with the climate of music at that specific time, but when you are Jay-Z you don't follow the trends. You set the trends for others to follow, and since 1996 this is what I have become accustomed to. So as I press play on the album for a 4th straight time, I would just like to go on record as saying 4:44 is definitely the defining moment in The Maturation of Jay-Z. R