What Will It Take to Get New Music From Jay-Z?

I know it sounds crazy kids, but once upon a time, billionaire entrepreneur Jay-Z was an extremely successful, Grammy-winning music artist. Back in the olden days of the late ‘90s/early 2000s, he dominated the Billboard charts, becoming one of the most popular acts in the world. Then one day, he decided to become a businessman, philanthropist and stay at home dad while his wife took over the world.

OK, all jokes aside, Jay-Z is a bonafide rap legend, so fans are always clamoring for new music from The Blueprint artist. In an interview with CBS Mornings’ Gayle King, Hov opened up about what it will take to get him back in the studio.

“It has to be something important,” he said. “I don’t wanna just make a bunch of tunes. That’s not gonna serve me. It won’t feed me. I have to be saying something important. It has to mean something, you know? It has to mean something to a larger society.”

Jay has not released a new solo album since 2017’s 4:44, a project he has a special appreciation for because “the amount of vulnerability in there allowed for a lot of people to explore the space.”

The Shawn Carter who dropped Reasonable Doubt and Hard Knock Life is a completely different person now, so we’re not expecting him to deliver the same kind of music that first caught our attention. However, in the six years since 4:44, we’ve all lived 10 lifetimes–and it feels like Jay-Z is someone who would have fascinating insight on everything we’ve been through.

All the Hip-Hop 50 celebrations and the lack of chart-topping hits has led to a lot of talk about the current state of hip-hop. To that end, now is the perfect time for him to remind everyone of rap’s true power and impact by returning with “important” music that showcases all the issues Black people are fighting on multiple fronts. He just needs to make sure he hides his best beats from his wife.