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There was every reason to see the ads for Jay-Z’s “4:44” and think it was a stunt — or, that it was just a stunt. But his 13th (more or less) solo record is also one of his best, in part for its artistry, in part for his version of honesty. The album is Jay-Z’s first recording since Beyoncé turned their marital trouble into a masterpiece called “Lemonade,” an album whose emotional drama included songs about his having cheated on her. It turned him into a kind of pop-cultural villain. On “4:44,” Jay-Z expresses contrition for his infidelity. But he also ruminates on the socioeconomic state of black America and what it means for a black American man to leave his family a legacy.
What a complicated album, though. Ingeniously produced by Ernest Wilson, the longtime hip-hop and R.&B….
