Jay Z has managed to do something that we thought was nearly impossible:
Distract the celebrity gossip world from the fact that his wife just gave birth to twins.
By releasing a new album, the rapper has postponed speculation over the state of Beyonce’s babies, focusing all attention on the moment on his VERY personal songs and lyrics.
As previously detailed, these lyrics include shots at Kanye West and apparent admissions that he really did cheat on Beyonce.
Among the ways Jay Z has admitted that he stepped out on his goddess of his wife is a couple lines that bring up singer/songwriter Eric Benet.
On the album opener, “Killing Jay Z,” the artist raps the following: You almost went Eric Benet/ Let the baddest girl in the world get away.
Later, he warns again: Never go Eric Benet.
For the record, Benet’s marriage to Halle Berry came to an end in 2003 amidst rumors of his infidelity.
And while that’s a pretty creative way for Jay Z to castigate himself for having slept with Becky with the Good Hair, Benet didn’t appreciate getting dragged into the musician’s public confession.
“Hey yo #Jayz! Just so ya know, I got the baddest girl in the world as my wife….like right now!” Benet shot back in a pretty great Tweet.
It wasn’t overly angry or personal… and it gave props to his current wife, Manuela Testolini.
Hova’s latest album is titled “4:44″ and it seems very much to be a direct response to Beyonce’s “Lemonade.”
Across nearly every track, Jay Z brings up his personal life, referencing the breakup between Future and Ciara at one point and how the former now must sit back and watch someone else (Russell Wilson) raise his son.
Jay also touches on his his notorious elevator fight with Solange Knowles in lyrics that read:
“You egged Solange on, knowing all along all you had to say you was wrong.”
Eric Benet is a happily married man. And he wants Jay Z to know that!
Jay then gets even deeper on the album’s fourth track, also named “4:44,” in which “I apologize” is a running theme and the rapper talked about his and Beyonce’s newborn twins.
“Took for these natural twins to believe in miracles,” he sings.
“Took me too long for this song, I don’t deserve you. My heart breaks for the day I have to explain my mistakes and the mask goes away.”
Yes, his mistakes.
The artist later mentions, on the single “Family Feud, how he’ll “f-ck up a good thing if you let me,” another apparent reference to his wondering penis.
4:44 features guest appearances from Frank Ocean, Damian Marley, and a spoken word sample from Jay Z’s mother, Gloria Carter.
It is available to Sprint and Tidal customers right now, after debuting nationwide on 160 pop, rhythm and urban stations, in partnership with iHeartMedia.
We haven’t heard much promotion from the rapper in regard to the album; nor do we expect to, not when he has three young kids at home to care for now.
But this speaks to the magic of both Beyonce and Jay Z.
They time their album releases to perfectly, and they make their songs so personal, that they need not say a word in order to control all conversation for a day, a week or even a month afterward.
