Jay Z’s latest release, 4:44, hasn’t been out for long, but has already spurred on quite the conversation. Name-calling, apologizing to Beyoncé for cheating, and coming to terms with his mother’s sexuality, are only a handful of buzzworthy insights into Hov’s private life.
That in mind, it seems unsurprising the Tidal-exclusive album went platinum in less than a week. Prior to the actual record-drop, the 47-year old had been sharing visual teasers, starring the likes of Mahershala Ali and Lupita Nyong’0.
Now, the legendary rapper released the first full-length music video from the new project. The animated clip for 4:44’s closing track, ‘The Story of O.J.,’ was styled to look like pre 1950s Disney-cartoons and deals with themes such as racism, slavery, and black oppression in general.
The title’s inspired by controversial, former Football-star O.J. Simpson’s alleged Statement, “I’m not black, I’m O.J.”
In an interview with iHeartRadio, the rapper revealed that ‘The Story of O.J.‘ is really a song about us as a culture, having a plan, how to move forward. We all make money, and then we all lose money, artists especially. But how, when you have some type of success, do you transform that into something bigger?
The song samples iconic singer and activist Nina Simone’s ‘4 Women,’ a song that targeted similar themes by diving into the stories of four very different black women, their lives, and struggles.
