Jay-Z Spikes The ‘Lemonade’ – ‘4:44’ Lyrical Deep Dive Of The Best Songs
Check out (probably) the deepest dive on Jay-Z’s 13th studio album, song by song on our favorite 4:44’s tracks below. We didn’t cover every track on the album, but most of the tracks had some great Easter eggs. Check it out by clicking to the next page to see each deep dive of the songs.
“Smile”
Stand Out Lyrics: “Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian. Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian. Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate. Society shame and the pain was too much to take. Cried tears of joy when you fell in love. Don’t matter to me if it’s a him or her. I just wanna see you smile through all the hate. Marie Antoinette, baby, let ’em eat cake.”
I personally found this to be a BIG STEP in Hip-Hop. Though people like Frank Ocean have come out in the rap world, there’s a huge stigma when it comes to Gay and Lesbian themes. The fact that Gloria Carter, Jay-Z’s mom came out as a Lesbian, it creates a safe space for people to begin talking about it in the community. Because if you’re gonna diss HOV’s mom, he’s gonna come after you.
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Stand Out Lyrics: “Living in the shadow. Can you imagine what kind of life it is to live? In the shadows, people see you as happy and free. Because that’s what you want them to see
Living two lives, happy, but not free. You live in the shadows for fear of someone hurting your family or the person you love. The world is changing and they say it’s time to be free. But you live with the fear of just being me. Living in the shadow feels like the safe place to be. No harm for them, no harm for me. But life is short, and it’s time to be free. Love who you love, because life isn’t guaranteed. Smile.”
This was actually a poem that Gloria Carter read at the end of the track, and that was also super powerful.
