Jay-Z album bomb! Just my luck. Not to mention Kesha and Macklemore return. And...21 Savage. Groan. It's a busy week, and I had to work this morning. Also just my luck.
Gonna be trying something different with this post. I'm going to be ranking all the non-Jay-Z songs first, then reviewing 4:44 track-by-track at the bottom. Like I used to do. I figure it's better this way because it can be hard for me to rank album tracks, especially compared to other songs that aren't in that album. And I will probably be doing this whenever we get a significant album bomb. Not just a third of an album or something like that. And now...
Highlights.
Top 20
1. Despacito by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber (1)
2. Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller (4)
3. I'm The One by DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper & Lil Wayne (2)
4. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars (3)
5. Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran (5)
6. Humble. by Kendrick Lamar (6)
7. Believer by Imagine Dragons (7)
8. There's Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes (14)
9. Unforgettable by French Montana ft. Swae Lee (10)
10. Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt (8)
11. Congratulations by Post Malone ft. Quavo (9)
12. Stay by Zedd & Alessia Cara (11)
13. Attention by Charlie Puth (15)
14. Redbone by Childish Gambino (16)
15. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay (13)
16. XO TOUR Llif3 by Lil Uzi Vert (17)
17. Now Or Never by Halsey (18)
18. Mask Off by Future (12)
19. Slow Hands by Niall Horan (22)
20. Issues by Julia Michaels (19)
Fell Off Top 20
21. Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur (20)
Big Gains (10+)
49. Felices Los 4 by Maluma (61)
53. Mi Gente by J Balvin & Willy William (70)
66. Most Girls by Hailee Steinfeld (92)
68. Rake It Up by Yo Gotti ft. Nicki Minaj (78)
72. Escapate Conmigo by Wisin ft. Ozuna (84)
Moderate Gains (5 - 9)
8. There's Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes (14)
54. Small Town Boy by Dustin Lynch (60)
62. Love Galore by SZA ft. Travis Scott (71)
78. Bodak Yellow by Cardi B (85)
Big Losses (10+)
45. Slide by Calvin Harris ft. Frank Ocean & Migos (32)
59. First Day Out by Tee Grizzley (49)
65. Swalla by Jason Derulo ft. Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign (44)
67. Passionfruit by Drake (51)
69. God, Your Mama, And Me by Florida Georgia Line ft. Backstreet Boys (52)
70. Thunder by Imagine Dragons (59)
71. Crying In The Club by Camila Cabello (53)
76. 4 AM by 2 Chainz ft. Travis Scott (65)
77. Privacy by Chris Brown (66)
79. Every Time I Hear That Song by Blake Shelton (57)
82. Love. by Kendrick Lamar ft. Zacari (69)
83. Signs by Drake (54)
84. The Cure by Lady Gaga (50)
87. You Look Good by Lady Antebellum (68)
93. Somebody Else Will by Justin Moore (83)
95. Weak by AJR (80)
Moderate Losses (5 - 9)
18. Mask Off by Future (12)
32. 2U by David Guetta ft. Justin Bieber (27)
34. Slippery by Migos ft. Gucci Mane (29)
39. iSpy by KYLE ft. Lil Yachty (34)
40. Rolex by Ayo & Teo (33)
43. Bad And Boujee by Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert (38)
48. 24K Magic by Bruno Mars (40)
75. Flatliner by Cole Swindell ft. Dierks Bentley (67)
81. Yours If You Want It by Rascal Flatts (75)
85. What Ifs by Kane Brown ft. Lauren Alaina (79)
88. No Promises by Cheat Doces ft. Demi Lovato (82)
96. Heartache On The Dance Floor by Jon Pardi (89)
99. Reminder by The Weeknd (91)
Dropouts
- The Fighter by Keith Urban ft. Carrie Underwood (45, 38, 22 weeks)
- Goosebumps by Travis Scott ft. Kendrick Lamar (47, 32, 34 weeks)
- T-Shirt by Migos (48, 19, 25 weeks)
- Tunnel Vision by Kodak Black (55, 6, 20 weeks)
- Sign of the Times by Harry Styles (73, 4, 13 weeks)
- Rollin by Calvin Harris ft. Future & Khalid (76, 62, 3 weeks)
- No Complaints by Metro Boomin ft. Offset & Drake (77, 71, 2 weeks)
- Down by Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane (86, 42, 5 weeks)
- Who Dat Boy by Tyler, The Creator ft. A$AP Rocky (87, 87, 1 week)
- Swish Swish by Katy Perry ft. Nicki Minaj (88, 46, 7 weeks)
- Portland by Drake ft. Quavo & Travis Scott (90, 9, 16 weeks)
- El Amante by Nicky Jam (94, 93, 10 weeks)
- Losin Control by Russ (95, 62, 19 weeks)
- It Ain't My Fault by Brothers Osborne (97, 97, 4 weeks)
- Extra Luv by Future ft. YG (99, 99, 1 week)
- How Not To by Dan + Shay (100, 57, 14 weeks)
New Entries
23. The Story of O.J. by Jay-Z
25. Praying by Kesha
33. Bank Account by 21 Savage
35. 4:44 by Jay-Z
47. Bam by Jay-Z ft. Damian "Jr. Gong" Marely
51. Family Feud by Jay-Z ft. Beyoncé
52. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato
55. Kill Jay Z by Jay-Z
56. Smile by Jay-Z ft. Gloria Carter
63. Caught Their Eyes by Jay-Z ft. Frank Ocean
86. Moonlight by Jay-Z
89. Glorious by Macklemore ft. Skylar Grey
90. Marcy Me by Jay-Z
91. Get Low by Zedd & Liam Payne
92. Fetish by Selena Gomez ft. Gucci Mane
94. Famous by 21 Savage
New Entries Ranked (Not Including 4:44)
1. Sorry Not Sorry
Demi sampled No Problem by Chance The Rapper, and I'm okay with that. Praise the LAORD! Demi Lovato is a force of personality that makes for a lively romp. It puts a guy in their place, and you wanna side with her for how confident and demanding she is. Pretty much the opposite of Really Don't Care from 2014. Huge thumbs up. Would love to see this get bigger.
2. Glorious
Four years after he first broke through, Macklemore still feels like a breath of fresh air in rap. Mostly because rap has been getting more moody and dull. And I've been rooting for this song since it first released. It's fun, it's uplifting, and Macklemore just puts a smile on my face. Even Skylar Grey's chorus is great. Turns out Mack can still make great stuff without Ryan Lewis. Wish him luck too. Don't expect this to become a hit, but I can rest easy knowing it hit the Hot 100.
3. Praying
Yes I ranked Macklemore above Kesha, I'm not sorry. But this is still great. It's a side of Kesha I haven't heard before, with soulful pianos and a vocal performance that is absolutely awe inspiring, especially toward the end. Especially when you know that this is Kesha's comeback after her troubles with Dr. Luke and sexual abuse. I never considered myself a Kesha fan before, but I feel like I need to get into her backlog now in preparation for Rainbows. Also, Ryan Lewis, good to see you're still getting work. I really like you.
4. Get Low
Honestly I don't mind this. Typical tropical song. Zedd's production is actually alright. Nothing that stands out as being annoying. Or stands out at all, but you know, that's an improvement from Stay. Liam's performance is also decent, but I am kinda getting sick of his sex shtick.
5. Famous
Eh. A low-key tune about street life. I guess the production got an actual budget for Issa Album. I guess it's not bad, but it's still uninteresting. 21's MO.
6. Fetish
I would expect a song called Fetish to be more shocking. If I didn't know it was by Selena Gomez. Going for slow and sexy, not biting since Selena is not a provocative singer. She's boring. Though I guess the beat is not the worst. Also Gucci Mane makes me miss A$AP Rocky.
7. Bank Account
Okay, so I listened to about half of Future's self-titled album last night (don't ask why), and some of 21's flows on this resemble what Future did on that album. That's the only remotely interesting thing about this song. The rest is a limp guitar lick that's akin to beginner guitar lesson skill. And it's not as menacing as it wants to be. And apparently this is a meme? I see nothing remotely memetic about this. Internet, please try harder with what you make viral.
4:44 Review
1. Kill Jay Z
Starting off the album with a self critical, dangerous-sounding piece. Complete with police sirens that set a mood rather than annoy. The beat is tight, hopefully building up suspense for what's coming next. Superb album opener. Can't wait to see where it goes from here.
2. The Story of O.J.
The song that got the music video with cartoon blackface. That I haven't seen. It's got this glitchy jazz sound, complete with some vocal samples and flutes. I guess some of it is social commentary on black culture, specifically the race card some would play to excuse OJ from his murder allegations? And the second verse is about Jay-Z as a business man. I can appreciate the sound and artistry but I feel like there's something I don't understand about it. Pretty cool though.
3. Smile
Gloria Carter is Jay-Z's mother. And this is a song dedicated to her. Even including an admission that she's a lesbian. That's something powerful. Standing up for a gay family member as a mainstream rapper. Well, Macklemore already did it, but still, it's not like it's all that common. Plus, the speech from Gloria at the end is the icing on the cake. It's a soulful treat, and I love it.
4. Caught Their Eyes
Frank brings the funk! And it is amazing. There's so much going on in this production, and it's all fun. Great bassline, great synths, even great vocal samples! Also it's about being aware of your surroundings. A little more abstract than the previous concepts this album explored, but effective.
5. 4:44
And here we get Jay-Z's first response to Lemonade. Not one of deflecting blame or denial, but of shame and regret. The fear that his children will research his infidelity and become ashamed of him. Those are very real, relatable feelings. One of the richest men on Earth found a way to make himself relatable. Wow. The soul influences are also top notch. My favorite on the album so far.
6. Family Feud
At first I thought this would also be about Jay and Beyoncé's rocky relationship, but it's more about feuds within the hip hop community. Because we all lose when the family feuds. I feel like I can't relate to this as much because I'm more disconnected from the rap community. I'm also disappointed that Beyoncé is relegated to backing vocals on this song. I thought she'd get her own verse. Whatever, she still sounds good.
7. Bam
More Jamaican influences. I dig it, though it's a bit overproduced. But its central message is how a little ego is important for one's success. And coming from Jay, I actually believe it. He puts forth a convincing argument, even despite my annoyance with certain rappers getting too egotistical for their own good. It's also a good contrast to Kill Jay Z. Did I mention JaMaIcAn ViBeS?
8. Moonlight
Apparently a critique of rap culture, which I am all for. Especially considering this hasn't been a great year for mainstream hip hop outside of Kendrick and now Jay-Z. Using the La La Land Oscar goof as a parallel to that. Not sure all the message is connecting with me, but I think that's the gist. Production's a bit weird though, even compared to previous songs on this album.
9. Marcy Me
Jay-Z reflects back on his upbringing. Particularly the street he grew up on and dreamt on. It's all pretty dreamy and moody, but it hits all the right notes and sticks out as one of the best from the albums. And hey, The-Dream's outro at the end is pretty tight too! Pretty chill, though I guess I understand why it was the lowest Jay-Z debut.
10. Legacy
This didn't chart but I don't care, I'm still gonna talk about it. Not gonna leave this unfinished. Blue Ivy starts the song asking Jay what a will is. Then I guess he gives her an answer. In the form of his family's legacy. Backed by some moody jazz production. And it's glorious. Nice way to end off the album. With vulnerability and recognition of family history. Makes me sad this only got to the Bubbling Under. This is good stuff.
Verdict: Having not heard a Jay-Z project before, this was a promising start. It's many concepts that matter to Jay, and in the process makes him vulnerable and more human. You feel sorry for him on the songs where he addresses his demons, and the soulful and jazzy instrumentation he's got backing him up make this a must-listen. I may have to buy this album now.
Rating: Strong 8/10
Best songs: 4:44, Smile, Marcy Me, Caught Their Eyes
Worst: Moonlight
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