Jay-Z has proved himself to be one of the most innovative rappers ever. Within building a name through music, business, film and other ventures, he's managed to let each of these lanes he builds within bleed into each other. On top of that, his latest work have really emphasized on trying to make a change when it comes to social issues. With his latest release 4:44, Jay made one of his most introspective and personal records to date. And as a business man and an innovator, he's not only been dropping videos for the songs on the project rapidly but he has also been making footnotes for the videos, making his vision as a creative much clearer to the consumer.
Last week, Jay dropped the video for the James Blake assisted "MaNyfaCedGod" and today, he drops off the footnotes for the song. While Jay-Z grabs some of the most notable male entertainers in the business, each of them discuss the perception of "being a man" and male vulnerability as a black male and how that overall affects the relationships they are in. In the video he grabs some Trevor Noah, Jesse Williams, Meek Mill, Charlamagne tha God and many more to find out what their definition of being a man is and how that perception has played into their relationships. Much of what is being discussed draws parallels to the overall theme of Jay's last album.
It's a thoughtful seven minutes that's meant to strike dialogue. While they discuss this idea of male vulnerability, Anthony Anderson, Mack Wilds, Charlamagne tha God and more give themselves a "moral grade" before the question gets taken onto the streets for random men to answer.
Jay-Z is continuously figuring out new ways to approach the release of his music. His latest series of footnotes for 4:44 is another way that he's approaching taking his music and presenting it in a refreshing fashion.
4:44 really surprised many Jay-Z fans, not knowing exactly what to expect after his Magna Carta Holy Grail album. With his latest album, he's put it past being his thirteenth studio album and has turned it into a full-fledged project that explores Jay-Z as not only an artist but as a human.
Check the footnotes for "MaNyfaCedGod" below:
