JAY-Z has already explained the meaning behind the title of his latest album, 4:44, but what if there’s more to it?
A new theory arose when a fan pointed out how the numbers coincide with the site of a particularly chaotic moment from the rapper’s past.
The Standard hotel is where Beyoncé’s sister Solange Knowles attacked JAY-Z in an elevator after the Met Ball in 2014. The address of Le Bain, the hotel’s rooftop bar, is 444 West 13th Street.
It could just be a coincidence that JAY-Z’s album shares those first three digits, but it’s a pretty interesting theory, nonetheless. “I’m at The Standard where Solange beat Jay-Z’s ass in the elevator. THE ADDRESS IS 444. I AM SHOOK,” a fan tweeted early Wednesday.
I'm at The Standard where Solange beat Jay-Z's ass in the elevator. THE ADDRESS IS 444. I AM SHOOK pic.twitter.com/ZKtAVxMQiS
— Stephen (@StephenOssola) July 26, 2017
Adding to the puzzle is “Kill Jay Z,” the album’s opener which refers to the Solange fight: “You egged Solange on/ Knowin’ all along all you had to say you was wrong.”
He also references his alleged infidelity, which was rumored at the time to have sparked the elevator incident, in “4:44.” JAY-Z raps, “I apologize, often womanize/ Took for my child to be born/ See through a woman’s eyes/ Took for these natural twins to believe in miracles/ Took me too long for this song/ I don’t deserve you.”
“I woke up, literally, at 4:44 in the morning, 4:44 a.m., to write this song,” JAY-Z told iHeartRadio of the title track. “So it became the title of the album and everything. It’s the title track because it’s such a powerful song, and I just believe one of the best songs I’ve ever written.”
