Jay-Z's "4:44" Was Finished Thursday Morning

No I.D, the producer behind the entirety of Jay Z's 13th studio album 4:44, is doing the interview rounds. He's already shared a fair amount about the project in a lengthy conversation with Rolling Stone, but a new New York Times profile has revealed some interesting new details as well.

Most notably, the producer answered a question that was on the minds of many: how did a reference to Al Sharpton's much-talked-about gym selfie, posted just over a week ago, make the cut? "We did that maybe Monday?” I.D. said of "Family Feud," the track on which the line appears. "Maybe Tuesday. I finished it Thursday morning." Seeing that the album was released Friday at midnight, it means that there were still finishing touches being added to the album within 24 hours of its release. The sessions for the album began last December.

Later on, No I.D. shared some insight into Beyoncé's role in the recording process. "I always call Bey our de facto A&R," he said. "Pillow talk is the strongest conversation on the planet. Every song has to get past her ears, in my eyes. She came by a lot and played a good part in helping us get over hurdles on certain records. Of course she’s genius-level with that."

Read the full NYT interview here. 4:44 is currently available to stream on Tidal, though you'll also need to sign up for Sprint to hear the LP if you are not a pre-existing subscriber to the streaming service.