Jay Z shares the footnotes version of his "4:44" video. Similar to the footnotes video for "The Story of O.J.," the Tidal-exclusive short film features commentary from Kendrick Lamar, Chris Paul, Aziz Ansari, Chris Rock, and of course Hov himself.
After an opening bit from Rock about everyone's desire to feel "needed, on some level," Jay opens up about meeting his father and the impact that relationship had on his life, including his relationship with Beyoncé. As Jay recalls, he first thought the reconciliation would make him "free to love," but later learned it was more complicated than that. "Adnis," one of three 4:44 bonus tracks, is written as a letter to Jay's father, who died in 2003.
"I just ran into this place and we built this big, beautiful mansion of a relationship that wasn't totally built on the 100 percent truth," he says. "Then it starts cracking, and then things start happening that the public can see . . . We had to go a point and be, like, 'Tear this down,' and then start from the beginning."
Later in the video, Jay discusses begging Beyoncé not to leave him alone on vacation and reveals he played his new album for her early in the creative process. "I'm not saying it wasn't uncomfortable because obviously it was," Jay says.
Tidal subscribers can view the full 11-minute "Footnotes for '4:44'" up top, while non-subscribers can catch a short preview here:
Also, catch a clip from the previously released "Footnotes for 'The Story of O.J.'" below:
