"Back to Shawn Carter the hustler, Jay Z is dead." That line was the central theme from Vol. 3's "There's Been A Murder." Now, some 18 years later, Shawn Carter is finally ready to kill Jay Z. His 13th studio album—4:44—dropped last night to much applause across social media. Lines were dissected, favorite tracks were being debated, Magna Carta Holy Grail was quietly swept under proverbial rugs, all into the wee hours of the morning. The God MC gave us a moment, and even if you denied him three times like Peter, he forgives you. Jay's fetish for proving people wrong is both impressive and inspiring, his dedication to displaying that he's still Rap's Everest.
Jigga is rapping at a high level throughout this project, the bars are disgusting over those filthy No I.D. loops and samples. There was no limits to options to feature here; I probably could've gone with a verse from "The Story of OJ," "Smile," "4:44," or "Bam" but the confirmation of his strained relationship with Kanye, acknowledgement that he deserved Solange's elevator assault, the bars on Lemonade, and his apologia for his selfish past, all aired on the very first track, set the tone. "Kill Jay Z" will be mentioned in the pantheon of his best intros, which is an astonishing feat when you factor in Jigga is 47 years old and thirteen albums deep. He's finally in a space where he can open up about anything and everything—we can maybe thank Blue and the twins for that. 4:44's intro "Kill Jay-Z" is the best rap verse of the month.
Will he ever fall off?
