JAY-Z Delivers Raw Truths About Beyonce, Solange, Kanye & Himself (Video)

JAY-Z’s “Kill Jay Z” may be the most talked about song on 4:44. While the June album’s title track suggested infidelity in his marriage to Beyoncé, this record is thought to be the one that prompted Kanye West to sever exclusive ties with Jay’s Tidal service, and pursue legal action for monies allegedly owed. It was all good five years ago when these two reigning Roc boys dropped Watch The Throne, together. 2017 is another story.

JAY-Z’s Turns His Apology To Beyoncé Into A Powerful Short Film (Video)

As speculation lingers that ‘Ye is working on a musical reply to his onetime “Big Brother,” Jay puts his video out to the masses. Lines like “I know people back-stab you, I feel bad too / But this ‘f*ck everybody’ attitude ain’t natural / But you ain’t a Saint, this ain’t KumbaYe / But you got hurt because you did cool by ‘Ye / You gave him $20 million without thinkin’ / He gave you 20 minutes on stage, f*ck was he thinkin’? / ‘F*ck wrong with everybody?’ is what you sayin’ / But if everybody’s crazy, you’re the one that’s insane” are set to video.

Directed by Gerard Bush & Christopher Renz, the black-and-white visual features a young man in a shirt reading “Stay Black” running for his life. There are overhead shots of a man swimming for his life, before another tracking sequence of that same man walking. It returns to the vignette that opens the two-minute visual.

While Jay does not appear to be in the video, this song addresses upsetting Solange, and nearly losing Bey’. Jay raps about the stabbing of record executive Lance “Un” Rivera, and takes another widely-discussed pot-shot at Eric Benet for losing Halle Berry.

How JAY-Z’s New Album Is The Blueprint For Grown Man Rap (Video)

On a related note, this video examines the turning points in Jay’s life, including the aforementioned stabbing:

The TBD addresses Jay’s increased vulnerability and intimacy in his songwriting.