It’s been nearly four years since JAY-Z’s last project—2013’s Magna Carta Holy Grail—and the Brooklyn rapper returns today with his 13th studio album 4:44. The project runs 10 tracks and features Frank Ocean, Damian Marley, and his mother Gloria Carter. It’s produced entirely by No I.D., who has worked on previous JAY-Z hits like “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)” and “Run This Town” featuring Kanye West and Rihanna.
He also shared an animated video for the “The Story of O.J.” which he co-directed alongside Mark Romanek. The director has previously worked on music videos with Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Jay himself, and also helmed films like One Hour Photo and Never Let Me Go:
iHeartRadio later released an interview with the Brooklyn rapper in which he breaks down the project track by track.
JAY-Z first teased 4:44 with a series of ads on NYC subways and prominent music websites. He’s been releasing trailers for the album periodically via TIDAL and recently purchased a prominent billboard ad in Times Square.
The Brooklyn mogul also shared a TIDAL playlist of songs that inspired the track, including James Blake’s “Retrograde,” Jimi Hendrix’s “Bold as Love,” and Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia.”
