Is 4:44 a direct response to Lemonade?
Many of the lyrics to Jay-Z's tracks on his new album appear to be in response to lines from wife Beyoncé's 2016 smash hit record, which was about love, infidelity and forgiveness. And then there was Becky. She has good hair. And she's bad news.
Hey Becky:
Lemonade: In Beyoncé's track "Sorry," she sings, "He only want me when I'm not there / He better call Becky with the good hair."
4:44: In Jay-Z's track "Family Feud," he raps, "Yeah, I'll f--k up a good thing if you let me / Let me alone Becky."
"Dishonesty":
Lemonade: In Bey's song "Pray You Catch Me," she "You can taste the dishonesty / It's all over your breath as you pass it off so cavalier."
4:44: In "Kill Jay-Z," the rapper raps, "You egged Solange on / Knowin' all along / All you had to say you was wrong."
The track references the rapper's famous elevator fight with Bey's sister Solange after the 2014 Met Gala. She had confronted him after he got a little too close with designer Rachel Roy, the ex-wife of his business partner Damon Dash.
It's been widely speculated that "Becky" is actually Roy or singer Rita Ora. Both have denied their involvement in allegedly causing a rift between the power couple.
"Baddest Woman":
Lemonade: In the song "Hold Up," Bey sings, "Never had the baddest woman in the game up in your sheets."
4:44: In Jay-Z's new track "Kill Jay-Z," he raps, "You almost went Eric Benét / Let the baddest girl in the world get away," referencing Halle Berry's ex, who split from her in 2003 amid rumors of infidelity.
Blue Ivy References?
Lemonade: In "Sorry," Bey sings, "Me and my baby, we gon' be alright."
4:44: In the title track "4:44," Jay raps, "And if my children knew / I don't even know what I would do / If they ain't look at me the same / I would prob'ly die with all the shame / You did what with who? / What good is a ménage à trois when you have a soulmate / You risked that for Blue?"
He also references their daughter Blue Ivy in "Kill Jay-Z," rapping, "But you gotta do better, boy, you owe it to Blue."
"Pick Up the Phone":
Lemonade: In "Sorry," Bey sings,"Now you want to say you're sorry / Now you want to call me crying."
4:44: In "4:44," Jay raps, "We talked for hours when you were on tour / Please pick up the phone, pick up the phone."
Uncomfortable Bedfellows:
Lemonade: In "Forward," Bey sings, "Go back to your sleep in your favorite spot just next to me."
4:44: In "4:44," Jay-Z raps, "And all this ratchet s--t and we more expansive not / Meant to cry and die alone in these mansions / Or sleep with our back turned."
Overall, "4:44" marks his biggest mea culpa.
"Look, I apologize, often womanize / Took for my child to be born / See through a woman's eyes / Took for these natural twins to believe in miracles / Took me too long for this song / I don't deserve you," he raps. "I apologize to all the women whom I / Toyed with you emotions because I was emotionless / I apologize 'cause at your best you are love / And because I fall short of what I say I'm all about."