S6E14 - Coda: 4:44 & Everything Is Love

Summary

Dissect Podcast: S6E14 - "Coda: 4:44 & Everything Is Love"

Release Date: July 28, 2020
Host: Cole Cuchna
Co-Host: Titi Shodia
Produced by: Spotify Studios

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Overview

In Season 6, Episode 14 of Dissect, hosts Cole Cuchna and Titi Shodia delve into the intertwined narratives of Beyoncé and Jay-Z through their seminal works—Beyoncé's Lemonade, Jay-Z's 4:44, and their collaborative album Everything Is Love. This episode, titled "Coda: 4:44 & Everything Is Love," explores the themes of betrayal, accountability, healing, and empowerment that permeate these albums, offering listeners a comprehensive analysis of one of the most influential power couples in modern music.

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Beyoncé's Lemonade: A Journey Through Betrayal and Reconciliation

Lemonade serves as Beyoncé's deeply personal exploration of her marriage's turmoil, particularly focusing on Jay-Z's infidelity. The album portrays Beyoncé's emotional odyssey from suspicion to forgiveness, culminating in reconciliation.

Key Highlights:

• Confronting Betrayal: Beyoncé publicly addresses the pain of suspected infidelity, expressing her rage and asserting her self-worth.
• Process of Forgiveness: As the narrative progresses, she moves towards forgiveness, contingent on Jay-Z's accountability and change.
• Reunion in "Sandcastles": The chapter "Forgiveness" features the song "Sandcastles," symbolizing the couple's reunion. Beyoncé sings, "Then I couldn't say baby" at [02:24], highlighting Jay-Z's silent yet powerful apology in their reconciliation.

Jay-Z's Silence Post-Lemonade: Initially, Jay-Z remained silent about their marital issues following Lemonade's release. His first public acknowledgment came later with the remix of Fat Joe's "Hit 'Em Up."

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Jay-Z's 4:44: A Raw Admission and Path to Accountability

In response to the narratives presented in Lemonade, Jay-Z released his album 4:44, which serves as an unflinching self-examination of his flaws, particularly his infidelity. Unlike Beyoncé's album, which focuses on her perspective, 4:44 provides Jay-Z's viewpoint, emphasizing his journey towards accountability and personal growth.

Key Tracks and Themes:

1. "Kill Jay Z" ([04:24] - [05:59]):

   • Breaking Down the Persona: Jay-Z begins by addressing his true identity, "Shawn Carter," challenging his established public persona.
   • Personal Anecdote: He references a traumatic childhood incident where he shot his older brother over a stolen ring: "You shot your own brother. How could we know if we can trust Jay Z?" This admission underscores his vulnerabilities and sets the stage for his journey towards self-improvement.

2. Emotional Vulnerability and Fatherhood ([05:59] - [07:53]):

   • Impact of Fatherhood: Jay-Z discusses how becoming a father to Blue Ivy influenced his emotional awareness: "You had no father, you had no armor, but you got a daughter. Gotta get softer."
   • Legacy of His Own Father: Reflecting on his father's absence, Jay-Z shares, "Your father's like your hero... I never wanted anyone to get that close to me so I can feel that again." This introspection reveals the deep-seated issues that contributed to his previous behaviors.

3. Creating "Kill Jay Z" ([08:25] - [09:03]):

   • Collaborative Effort: Produced by No ID, Jay-Z aimed to dismantle his ego to facilitate honest conversations: "Jay Z, the public Persona, couldn't have this conversation. He has to be eliminated."
   • Purpose of the Song: The track serves as foundational work to allow Jay-Z to express his true self and confront his past actions.

4. "4:44" – Confession and Apology ([14:29] - [32:27]):

   • Immediate Confession: Jay-Z offers a straightforward apology without excuses: "I apologize. Our love was one for the ages... I don't deserve you."
   • Reflection on Infidelity: He admits to his womanizing past and emotional unavailability, highlighting the impact on his marriage: "I apologize to all the women who I toyed with... I was emotionless."
   • Fear of Shame and Loss: Jay-Z contemplates the future repercussions of his actions on his children: "I apologize. If I wasn't a superhero in your face... my heart breaks for the day I have to explain my mistakes."
   • Symbolism of 4:44: The timing signifies personal and symbolic connections, including their shared birthdays and wedding anniversary, emphasizing the album's intimate nature.

Themes Explored:

• Accountability: Breaking down his own failures and taking responsibility for his actions.
• Emotional Openness: Moving away from a hardened exterior to embrace vulnerability.
• Impact of Upbringing: Understanding how his father's absence shaped his behaviors and relationships.

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Everything Is Love: Celebrating Unity and Continued Empowerment

Everything Is Love, a joint project by Beyoncé and Jay-Z under the moniker The Carters, serves as a culmination of the narratives explored in Lemonade and 4:44. This album not only celebrates their marital reconciliation but also extends their message of love and empowerment to the broader Black community.

Key Tracks and Themes:

1. "Summer":

   • Reconciliation Imagery: Revisiting beach imagery from Lemonade with lines like "Let's make love in the summertime," symbolizing renewed intimacy and strength.
   • Symbol of Healing: The song mirrors their journey of rebuilding trust and deepening their relationship.

2. "Apeshit":

   • Assertion of Black Excellence: Shot in the Louvre, the music video portrays Beyoncé and Jay-Z reclaiming historically white-dominated spaces, underscoring their success and cultural impact.
   • Celebration of Success: "I can't believe we made it," reflects their ascent to global prominence and the overcoming of personal and societal challenges.

3. "Black Effect":

   • Social Justice Commentary: Addresses systemic injustices faced by the Black community, aligning with their commitment to using their platforms for advocacy.
   • Empowerment Through Wealth and Influence: Emphasizes leveraging their resources to uplift and empower marginalized communities.

4. Closing Tracks ("Love Happy"):

   • Enduring Love: Beyoncé sings, "The ups and downs are worth it. Long way to go, but we're working," encapsulating the resilience and ongoing efforts to maintain their relationship.
   • Victory Over Adversity: Concluding with "We came, we saw, we conquered it all," draws a parallel to Julius Caesar's triumph, symbolizing their mastery over personal and collective struggles.

Themes Explored:

• Unity and Partnership: Celebrating their collaborative strength and mutual support.
• Cultural Empowerment: Highlighting their role in advocating for Black excellence and social justice.
• Triumph Over Adversity: Reinforcing the narrative of overcoming personal and generational challenges.

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Interconnected Narrative Across Albums

Trilogy Effect:

• Lemonade and 4:44 provide individual perspectives on their marital crisis, while Everything Is Love unites these narratives, showcasing their journey toward healing and empowerment as a couple.

Generational Healing:

• Both Beyoncé and Jay-Z address the legacy of broken relationships and systemic oppression, using their personal healing as a blueprint for broader social change.

Symbolism and Imagery:

• Recurring motifs like water in Lemonade, the number 4:44 in Jay-Z's album, and regal imagery in Everything Is Love reinforce the themes of destruction and rebirth, vulnerability and strength, and personal and communal empowerment.

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Conclusion

Through a meticulous analysis of Lemonade, 4:44, and Everything Is Love, Cole Cuchna and Titi Shodia illustrate how Beyoncé and Jay-Z have masterfully navigated their personal challenges to produce art that not only heals but also inspires. Their collaborative efforts transcend mere musical expression, offering profound insights into personal growth, relational dynamics, and societal issues. By publicly addressing their vulnerabilities and triumphs, Beyoncé and Jay-Z set a powerful example of accountability, resilience, and the transformative power of love.

Dissect effectively captures the essence of this narrative, providing listeners with a deep understanding of how these albums interconnect to portray a comprehensive story of betrayal, forgiveness, and ultimate unity.

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Notable Quotes:

• Beyoncé on Forgiveness ([03:05]):
  "Why do you deny yourself heaven? Why do you consider yourself undeserving? Why are you afraid of love?"

• Jay-Z on Vulnerability ([08:25]):
  "Hey love the love of my life."

• Jay-Z in "4:44" ([26:56]):
  "At your best, you are love, and I fall short of what I say I'm all about."

• Beyoncé on Their Foundation ([36:46]):
  "Let's make love in the summertime."

• Jay-Z on Accountability ([25:49]):
  "You have to survive, so you go into survival mode... You shut down all emotions."

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Dissect continues to provide insightful and comprehensive analyses of influential musical works, offering listeners a deeper appreciation of the stories and themes that shape contemporary music.

Transcript

[Sponsor Voice]

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[Cole Kushna]

This is dissect long form musical analysis broken into short, digestible episodes. I'm Cole Kushna.

[Titi Shodia]

And I'm Titi Shodia. Throughout our season long analysis of Lemonade, we follow Beyonce's journey from the betrayal in her marriage to the eventual reconciliation with her husband as told through her eyes. Confronting suspicions of her husband's infidelity and Beyonce released a torrent of rage as she reasserted her worth and commanded his respect. As her journey progressed, she engaged in a process of forgiveness with her partner, contingent upon his own accountability and the reformation of his actions. Their moment of reconciliation occurs in the chapter Forgiveness. Here, Beyonce sung Sandcastles and was finally reunited with her real life partner Jay Z, who gazed into her eyes and caressed her face.

[Beyoncé]

Then I couldn't say baby.

[Cole Kushna]

It was this wordless apology in the presence of one of the most powerful artists on the planet, humbling himself before his wife that captured Jay Z's response to the conflict in their marriage and his own journey of accountability and reformation is implied, and it appears he intentionally remained silent in the film, allowing Beyonce to reveal her side of the story. As Jay shared in his 2017 interview with the New York Times, it made sense to the couple that Beyonce would give her perspective first.

[Jay Z]

It actually started out we were working on material together and it became yeah, you know she then she went off and did her thing and it was like, it just felt like she should go first and she should share her truths with the world.

[Titi Shodia]

Jay remained silent on the state of their marriage in the weeks following Lemonade's release, with his first public acknowledgement coming on the remix of Fat Joe's 2016.

[Guest Speaker]

Hit all the Way Up.

[Narrator]

You know you made it when the fact you mash made it is worth millions. Lemonade is a popular drink and it's stinking.

[Cole Kushna]

Here.

[Titi Shodia]

Jay happily celebrates both their marriage and his wife's massive success with Lemonade. At the time, it seemed that he might not divulge any further than Beyonce already had with her deeply personal album. That is, until Jay released his next album, 2017's 444.

[Cole Kushna]

With 444, the public was finally able to hear about the infidelity and its aftermath from Jay's perspective directly. The album isn't exclusively a response to Lemonade, as it also addresses a host of themes such as financial freedom and black entrepreneurship as a means for black empowerment. But for our purposes, the scope of this episode will be limited to Jay Z's personal journey of accountability, beginning with the album's opening track, Kill Jay Z. This track is an emphatic no holds barred self reckoning and serves as a systematic destruction of Shawn Carter's ego and and the Jay Z Persona he created to survive as a hustler in Brooklyn's Marcy projects.

[Narrator]

Kill Jay Z They'll never love you, you'll never be enough. Let's just keep it real. Jay Z, Jay Z I mean you shot your own brother. How could we know if we can trust Jay Z? And you know better, nigga, I know you do. You got to do better, boy. You owe it the blue. You had no father, you had the armor but you got it done. I gotta get softer.

[Cole Kushna]

Within these opening lines, we hear Jay speak about his true identity, Shawn Carter, in an effort to destroy his public Persona. Jay Z he raps they'll never love you, you'll never be enough. Just keep it real Jay Z. Fuck Jay Z. I mean, you shot your own brother. How can we know if we can trust Jay Z? This references how Jay Z shot his older brother when he was 12 years old for stealing one of his rings. Jay previously discussed this incident on his 1997 song youg Must Love Me.

[Titi Shodia]

By opening with a reference to this deeply personal and traumatic incident, Jay Z recontextualizes a piece of his past as a glaring example of his flaws. It seems that in this Reflection, he rebukes his younger self for endangering his brother's life. He questions whether Jay Z can be trusted, because if he's capable of nearly killing his own brother over material goods and damaged pride, his ego may stop at nothing to preserve itself. Now he considers the way his Persona may still affect his family today, telling himself, you know better, nigga, I know you do, but you gotta do better, boy. You owe it to Blue. You had no father, you had no armor, but you got a daughter. Gotta get softer. He talks down to himself, dismissing his ego as a boy, a product of his hardened childhood, the mechanism that enabled him to survive on the streets of the Marcy projects. However, having grown and entered another phase of life, fatherhood, he holds himself accountable, demanding himself to replace this rough exterior with a more vulnerable side that's required to raise his daughter better. Of course, this self accountability parallels the accountability chapter of Beyonce's Lemonade. It was here that Beyonce remembered the lessons she learned from her own father, who was also hardened by life as a black man in America. While Beyonce learned survival mechanisms from her father. Jay Z's father left his family when he was just 11, causing him to put on armor in multiple senses. On the one hand, he was forced to put on armor and enter the battleground of the crack cocaine scene, providing for his family in the most expedient and profitable way possible. However, he also took up this armor emotionally, as the pain of losing his father caused him to build walls to protect himself from getting hurt once again. In an interview with Oprah, J discussed how this made it difficult for him to let others in.

[Jay Z]

What I was saying was, your father's like your hero. He's like a superhero to you. So that's someone that I was, you know, in love with. You know, that was my world. I wanted to be like him. I wanted to walk like him and talk like him. So for that to be removed, you know, from my house or from my life, you know, that left a huge void in my life and also made me put up walls because I never wanted to feel that feeling again. I never wanted anyone to get that close to me so I can feel that again. So it left me guarded for, you know, my entire life.

[Cole Kushna]

Kill Jay Z is the necessary groundwork for tearing down the walls Jay built, which enables him to open up and freely express himself on the rest of the album. Jay Z himself stated that the purpose of the song was so we can have this conversation in a place of vulnerability and honesty. Jay Z, the public Persona, couldn't have this conversation. He has to be eliminated. He has to be moved. So it's really Shawn Carter speaking to Jay Z and he has to like, convince him to move aside. With his ego now put to the side, Jay can proceed to put words to the pain that he holds and examine the ways it's influenced his life decisions.

[Narrator]

But you got a daughter gotta get softer Die Jay Z this ain't back in the days you don't need an alibi Jay Z Cry Jay Z We know the pain is real but you can't heal what you never reveal what's.

[Cole Kushna]

Here Jay continues to assure himself that he no longer needs the same survival mechanisms that he did earlier in his life. He does not need to find an alibi, an explanation for his behavior that would account for wrongdoings and let him off the hook. He can now face his actions and admit to them fully. He encourages himself to trade his armor for authenticity and vulnerability. Rapping Cry Jay Z We know the pain is real but you can't heal what you never reveal. Of course, this echoes Beyonce's words to him throughout Lemonade. Specifically, in the second half of the album, Beyonce asked him to consider why he feels undeserving of true love.

[Beyoncé]

Why do you deny yourself heaven? Why do you consider yourself undeserving? Why are you afraid of love? You think it's not possible for someone like you but you are the love of my life the love of my.

[Cole Kushna]

Life the love of my life and in Sandcastles, Beyonce made a direct request for him to show his scars, implying that it's key to their healing process.

[Beyoncé]

And your heart is broken cause I walked away show me your skies and don't walk away.

[Cole Kushna]

Finally, in all night she told Jay that true love never has to hide we found the truth.

[Beyoncé]

Beneath your lies and true love never has changed too high.

[Cole Kushna]

As evidenced in 444. Jay took Beyonce's words to heart, dismantling his ego so he can open himself up like never before. The most poignant examples of this openness are expressed in the title track of the album 444.

[Titi Shodia]

Like all of 444, the title track is produced by no ID. It features heavy use of the song Late Nights and Heartbreak by Hannah Williams and the affirmations why do I find.

[Narrator]

It so hard.

[Jay Z]

To love you?

[Titi Shodia]

Late Nights and Heartbreaks is a song about infidelity, as Williams sings about continually cheating on her partner despite loving him. It's a song of admission and self examination, featuring such lyrics as why do I find it so hard to love you when I know in my heart that I want to I've been putting you down when you aren't around I'm letting you down every day I've been messing around when you're out of town why do I keep running away? According to no id, he strategically chose to sample this song to implore Jay to confess his infidelity. On Wack, he told Rolling Stone, quote, that whole piece of music was created with me knowing I'm going to make you say it on this song. And this song will be the only song you need to say it on so it wouldn't turn into a full lemonade response album. I boxed all of those parts in and said, here, what are you gonna do with this? I remember him just looking at me sighing, okay, I'm going home. True story. At 4:44 he wakes up in the morning and writes this song, unquote. Jay confirms this story in conversation with Elliott Smith and B Dot Miller on the Rat Radar podcast.

[Jay Z]

And he was like, looking at me just staring at you like, what, what? What you saying?

[Narrator]

How you feel?

[Jay Z]

You ready to get personal? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Beyoncé]

It's vulnerable time, Jay.

[Jay Z]

It's like, pretty nice people, man. I'm going home.

[Narrator]

He's like, why? Why?

[Jay Z]

He wants to hear it. He wants me. I'm like, no worry. I'm going home. And then I woke up like that morning, like 4:44 to start, you know, putting in voice notes and shit.

[Titi Shodia]

When Jay recorded what he wrote, he did so alone inside his home, using Beyonce's microphone. And as you heard, he wrote the song at 4:44 in the morning, a symbolic number that signifies many things relating to Jay and Beyonce's relationship. Beyonce's birthday is September 4th, and Jay Z's is December 4th. Their wedding anniversary is April 4th. 4 4. And they got matching tattoos of the Roman numeral 4 on their ring fingers. 4:44 may also have ties to the infamous elevator incident, as the secondary address of the Stanford hotel where the incident occurred is 444 W. 13th St. The song itself begins with an extended intro. Jay finally enters after nearly a minute. We get the feeling that he's mustering the emotional strength needed to begin what is his most revealing and vulnerable song to date.

[Narrator]

I apologize. Often womanized 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.

[Cole Kushna]

Jay begins with an immediate, straightforward confession and apology to his wife, confirming the rumors of his womanizing and infidelity while married to Beyonce. He offers no excuse for his behavior and proceeds in this direct, repentant manner. He says took for my child to be born see through a woman's eyes. He implies that by becoming a father to Blue Ivy and raising her, he gained more empathy towards women and the pain they experience, especially from men in their lives. Commonly, men talk about raising daughters as an experience that causes them to rethink behaviors towards women as they come to understand each woman as someone's daughter deserving of all the love and respect that they have for their own child. He continues took for these natural twins to believe in miracles, revealing that he and Beyonce's twin children, Rumi and Sir Carter, were conceived naturally despite the infertility issues alluded to in Lemonade. Recall that in Lemonade, Beyonce subtly depicted infertility as one of the manifestations of the curse plaguing their family as she was unable to conceive a child with her partner. However, as the narrative progressed and the curse was broken, we heard Beyonce discuss the birth of twin girls.

[Beyoncé]

The first girl emerges from a slit in my stomach. The scar heals into a smile. The man I love pulls the stitches out with his fingernails. We leave black searchers curling on the side of the bath. I wake as the second girl crawls head first up my throat, a flower blossoming out of the hole in my face.

[Cole Kushna]

In our episode on Freedom, we understood this poem to represent the healing of generations of pain and the hope of a new future as they discarded black sutures and allowed Beyonce's scars to heal in the form of a smile on her stomach. Coincidentally and as Jay puts it, miraculously, Beyonce gave birth to their real life twins. A little over a year after the release of Lemonade, Beyonce actually spoke on the birth of her twins as representative of the healing in her family, telling Vogue magazine, I come from a lineage of broken male, female relationships, abuse of power and mistrust. Only when I saw that clearly was I able to resolve those conflicts in my own relationship. Connecting to the past and knowing our history makes us both bruised and beautiful. I now believe it's why God blessed me with my twins. Male and female energy was able to coexist and grow in my blood for the first time. Jay Z echoes these sentiments when he calls the natural birth of Rumi and Sir miraculous. The miracle seems to be both the unlikely birth of the twins themselves as well as the salvaging of his marriage with the twins representing the blessing that came from overcoming that struggle.

[Titi Shodia]

Jay Z continues the track rapping took me too long for this song I Don't Deserve youe. He's regretful that he hadn't risen to this level of self awareness and emotional honesty earlier in life, and is appreciative of his wife's patience in waiting for him to come to terms with his mistakes and account for them. Saying I don't deserve you seems to comment on the compassion she showed him despite the hurt he inflicted on her. However, he may also say I don't deserve you to express the underlying beliefs of unworthiness that may have led him to stray his marriage in the first place. This is the sentiment that was present in Lemonade's chapter Reformation. It was there Beyonce asked her partner a series of questions to understand the root of his transgressions.

[Beyoncé]

Why do you consider yourself undeserving? Why are you afraid of love?

[Titi Shodia]

While Beyonce poses this question to her partner in Lemonade, his answer is not heard directly. Rather, it is implied in the film to be a result of the damaging effects of the legacy of slavery and present day racism in America. So Jay's statement I Don't Deserve youe may refer to both his current apologetic state and the feelings of inadequacy that may have led him to infidelity in the first place as a sort of self fulfilling prophecy. As the verse continues, we hear Jay Z look back on their past together, starting with the moments it appeared their relationship may be over.

[Narrator]

You make it home we talked for hours when you were on tour Please pick up the phone pick up the phone I said don't embarrass me instead of be mine that was my proposal for us to go steady that was your 21st birthday, you mature faster than me I wasn't ready so I apologize I seen the innocence leave your eyes I still mourn this deafen I apologize for all the stillbones cause I wasn't present your body wouldn't accept Jay Z.

[Cole Kushna]

Claims to have harassed Beyonce in Paris, a city that holds personal significance for the couple as the place they got engaged and conceived their first child. But here, it seems their union has dissolved, with Jay Z likely attempting to win her back after an argument, this powerlessness continues in the following line Come back to Rome, you make it home Rome, Italy served as the center of the Roman Empire. By asking his wife to return to Rome to make it home, it seems Jay likens the two of them as leaders of an empire as they hold unparalleled success and massive influence in the world. However, by telling her, you make it home. He seems to admit that all of his success and influence is meaningless without her in his life. This sentiment is similar to one Beyonce expressed when she said, I have a lot of awards and I have a lot of these things that are amazing and I worked my ass off. I worked harder than probably everybody I know to get those things. But nothing feels like my child saying Mommy. Nothing feels like when I look my husband in the eyes. Jay continues, we talked for hours when you were on tour. Please pick up the phone. Pick up the phone. The telephone centers as an important means of communication for the two of them, as they are frequently apart from one another while touring. This calls back to the early days of their relationship, which began as a friendship over the phone.

[Beyoncé]

How has he helped you on so many levels? You know, we were friends first for a year and a half before we went on any date on the phone for a year and a half. And that foundation is so important in a relationship and just to have someone that you just like, you know?

[Guest Speaker]

Mmm.

[Beyoncé]

Is so important and someone that is honest.

[Guest Speaker]

Rather than using the phone to stay in touch or express their love for one another, Jay repeatedly calls her as she ignores him, mirroring Beyonce's words in Lemonade's fourth track Sorry. Just as Beyonce ends the song Sorry by leaving a note in their hallway and leaving her husband, it would appear that from Jay's perspective, he was not certain whether or not their relationship would weather this setback. While Jay ponders the recent state of his relationship, he does not confine his apologies to his infidelity, but rather takes ownership of his actions throughout the entirety of their relationship. Thus, in the following line, Jay continues, said don't embarrass me instead of be mine. That was my proposal for us to go study. This acknowledges that from the very beginning of their relationship, he was image conscious and not able to fly express his true feelings for her. He highlights this immaturity by referring to this as his proposal to go steady, an antiquated term usually describing teenage relationships. Jay points out the irony of being 12 years older than her, as her maturity level was far superior even at the young age of 21. However, despite noting her youth and wisdom beyond her years, he also admits that throughout their relationship he saw the innocence leave her eyes as the heartbreak of his infidelity caused her to abandon ideal notions of love. Jay Z states that he mourns the death of this innocence, then uses it to pivot to the couple's struggle with infertility. He says, I apologize for all the stillborns cause I wasn't present your body wouldn't accept it. Here Jay Z implies that because he was not present in their marriage, her body rejected the opportunity for pregnancy. While Jay assumes blame for these tragedies, it appears that both Beyonce and Jay Z see the resolve of their relationship as a form of of divine intervention that later blessed them with the birth of their twins. As Jay continues the verse, he widens his scope and apologizes to all the women he hurt. That's right after the break.

[Cole Kushna]

Welcome back to Dissect. Before the break, we heard Jay apologize for the stillborns. He feels his emotional unavailability contributed to. As444 continues, he expands his scope and addresses the women of his past.

[Narrator]

I apologize to all the women whom I toyed with your mom emotions because I was emotionless and I apologize cause at your best you would love and because I fall short of what I say I'm all about your eyes lead with the soul that your body once housed and you stare blankly in the space thinking of all the time you wasted it on all this basic shit. So I apologize.

[Cole Kushna]

J Raps I apologize to all the women who I toyed with your emotions because I was emotionless. With these lines, Jay Z admits to having used women in the past and playing with their emotions for his own amusement. He makes this point clear in his 2000 track Big Pimpin. The callousness displayed here in Big Pimpin is a point of pride for Jay Z, as it enables him to have sex with numerous women without getting attached or losing his player status. However, 17 years after Big Pimpin's release, Jay appears to reflect on these years with regret and shows a newfound understanding that to be emotionless is to be cold, unfeeling, and even exploitative towards others. In his biography, Jay Z Made in America, Michael Eric Dyson writes, emotionless in Men turns out to be a euphemism, or rather a misdiagnosis of sorts of it often refers to a very specific kind of emotional intelligence that many men code as feminine expressions of vulnerability, shame, and as sad as it may sound, love must be erased or contained. Unlike JN444, some men claim an emotionless profile as a badge of honor. In his 2017 interview with the New York Times, Jay himself reflected on the ways that the difficult circumstances of his upbringing put him in survival mode that affected his ability to connect emotionally.

[Jay Z]

You have to survive, so you go into survival mode. When you go into survival mode, what happened?

You shut down.

You shut down all emotions right so even with women, you are shut down emotionally so you can't connect. And then now all things happen from there.

[Guest Speaker]

The lines depicting Jay Z as emotionless are then immediately contrasted with a description of Beyonce saying, I apologize cause at your best you are love and I fall short of what I say I'm all about. If Jay Z at his worst is the lack of feeling, then his wife at her best is love incarnate. This line also begins an extended reference to The Isley Brothers 1976 Ballad at yout Best yout Are Love, an R and B classic that would later be covered by the likes of Aaliyah and Frank Ocean, for there are times when.

[Beyoncé]

I fall short of love what I say, what I say I'm all about all about but at your best you are in love.

[Guest Speaker]

By quoting this tender Isley Brothers classic, Jay puts himself in the place of Ronald Isley in the song, admitting that he can have difficulty expressing himself, but reassuring his partner that she gives him motivation to change. He continues the Isley Brothers reference saying, you, eyes leave with the soul your body once housed with eyes leave being a homophone for Isley. This may be one more reference to their catalog, this time to their song All In My Lover's Eyes. Here Ronald Isley sings about wanting to be the best version of himself as reflected in his partner's eyes, Cause it's.

[Beyoncé]

All in my love I just wanna.

[Guest Speaker]

Know While the reference to this Isley Brothers track seems clear, Jay uses the reference to describe Beyonce's eyes, leaving her soul, her body once housed, to return.

[Titi Shodia]

To the previous image of innocence leaving.

[Guest Speaker]

Beyonce's eyes both when he cheated on her and when she suffered a miscarriage. In this way, the soul her body once housed refers to the soul of her unborn child. As a result, Beyonce is left with nothing but negative thoughts as J describes her staring blankly into space, regretting the time she's lost on this basic shit. It's here at the end of the verse that Jay lowers his voice and apologizes for the fifth and final time.

[Narrator]

I apologize Our love was one for the ages Ain't I contained it so all this ratchet shitting we more expansive now Meant to cry and die alone in these matches or sleep with our back turned we supposed to break.

[Guest Speaker]

And.

[Narrator]

Then me in the space where the dark style let love.

[Cole Kushna]

Jay once again begins his verse with an apology, saying, I apologize. Our love was one for the ages and I contained us all this ratchet shit and we more expansive. Jay believes that their love is meant to be limitless and freeing, lasting through the ages, unvanquished by external pressures or internal upset. However, rather than living in this freedom, he admits that he contained their love, placing constraints on it through his own emotional walls and unwillingness to openly communicate his pain in order to heal. Is this fear of letting his guard down that could lead to a life of loneliness even while in the midst of a seemingly picturesque life? He continues, not meant to cry and die alone in these mansions or sleep with our backs turned, this image functions literally as they face away from one another in bed in an effort to distance themselves, an embodiment of the loneliness expressed in the previous line. It also evokes the idea of turning their backs on one another or to give up on their relationship as something unsalvageable. Jay continues, we're supposed to vacate till our backs burn. We're supposed to laugh till our hearts stop and then meet in a space where the dark stop and let love light the way. This beautiful image evokes an eternal love everlasting, as Jay imagines meeting Beyonce after their death and allowing their love to light the way through the unknown darkness of the afterlife.

[Narrator]

Like the men before me, I cut off my nose to spike my face. I never wanted another woman to know something about me that you didn't know A promise I cried, I couldn't I suck in love I think I need a do over. I will be emotionally available if I invited you over I stew over what if you over my shit.

[Guest Speaker]

Jay says he cut off his nose to spite his face, an idiom meaning to worsen an existing problem for oneself, often out of pride. This puts him in the same category as men before him, which may refer to a pattern of men who risk their relationships and in order to pursue extramarital affairs. More specifically, the men before him may also speak to the previous generations of men that Beyonce refers to in Lemonade, the generations of men in her family who come home at 3am and lie to their wives. Jay makes his own pain worse by cheating on her because whatever hurt caused him to seek an affair outside his relationship would only be exacerbated by the consequences of this indiscretion, namely the potential loss of his wife and children. This echoes the warning we heard Beyonce give in the chapter Anger, where she sang, if you hurt me, you hurt yourself. Jay then continues, I never wanted another woman to know something about me you didn't know, implying that at the core of his betrayal is the notion of letting another woman see a part of him that had been hidden from his wife his betrayal hurts not only because of any physical relationship he had with another woman, but also emotionally as well, as he had shared a sort of intimacy reserved for his marriage with someone outside of it. After the chorus, Jay Z delivers his third and final verse in a hushed tone.

[Jay Z]

And if my children knew.

[Narrator]

I don't even know what I would do if they ain't look at me the same I would probably die with all the shame you did what with whom? What good is a menagerie when you have a soulmate?

[Jay Z]

You risk that for blue if I.

[Narrator]

Wasn'T a superhero in your face My heart breaks for the day I have to explain my mistakes and the mask goes away and Santa Claus is fake and you go online and see for Blues 2 the Tooth Fairy didn't pay.

[Guest Speaker]

Jay Z caps off his final verse. Considering the shame that has yet to come when his children grow older and discover his infidelities, he imagines their line of questioning rapping, you did what? With who? What good is a menage a trois when you have a soulmate? His children recognize that one soulmate is worth more than two women, and that meaningless sex doesn't equate to the divine. He then asks, you risk that for blue. This echoes his previous fears he expressed of losing custody over his daughter in his 2013 track Jay Z Blue Daddy.

[Narrator]

Didn'T love me My baby getting chubby Cute as Stevie Wonder music Aw, isn't she lovely? Now I'm staring at her praying that things don't get ugly and I'm stuck in that old cycle life Wife leaves hug joint custody I need a joint.

[Cole Kushna]

Right now Jay continues 444 by switching perspectives, talking directly to his children, he says, if I wasn't a superhero in your face and then briefly trails off, seemingly unable to finish his sentence and put the grief of letting his children down into words. Jay imagines that to his children, he's inherently a superhero, someone strong and protective who shows no sign of weakness or makes mistakes. A man of honor and integrity. Jay himself used the same term in numerous interviews to describe the admiration he had for his own father, telling GQ magazine, my dad was such a good dad that when he left, he left a huge scar. He was my superhero. When Jay finally continues, he raps, my heart breaks for the day I had to explain my mistakes and the mask goes away and Santa Claus is fake Just as Jay mourns the innocence leaving Beyonce's eyes, he fears the day when he sees the same loss of innocence and disillusionment in his children. When his superhero mask goes away. It will be as disappointing as a young child finding out that Santa Claus doesn't exist. However, despite the pain this moment will cause his children, it's precisely by taking his own mask off and revealing his flaws and accepting full responsibility that he actually saved his marriage and preserves his family. Jay then completes the song by playing off Bluetooth technology. He raps and you go online and see for Blue's tooth. The tooth fairy didn't pay. He imagines Blue Ivy discovering the marriage scandal when she's old enough to surf the Internet again, comparing the innocence lost in that moment to realizing the Tooth Fairy isn't real. After this emotional final verse, 444 continues with an extended instrumental outro. This seems to be a very calculated decision, as it fittingly brings the total running time of the track to 4 minutes and 44 seconds.

[Guest Speaker]

As an album, 444 is not so much a response to Lemonade, but more the flip side of the same coin, the very real experience of their marital crisis as seen through Jay's eyes. He doesn't attempt to justify his actions. Instead, he works to destroy his ego and masculine posturing so that he can reflect, admit, feel guilt, feel, feel remorse, work to understand, apologize and forgive himself so he can work to rebuild. And like Beyonce, doing this in a public space offers a blueprint for other men to do the same.

[Narrator]

See how the universe works. It takes my heart it help me find more of myself.

[Cole Kushna]

Skipping the Curse one year after 444's release, Beyonce and Jay Z shocked the world with their long rumored album Everything Is Love, released under the unified moniker the Carters. As a title, Everything Is Love reassures fans that it's all love between Beyonce and Jay Z, and there's no lingering resentment between the two of them. However, the title also recalls one of the main messages of Lemonade, namely the power of love and its ability to transform painful experiences into beauty. The Carters celebrate this love and victory over the difficulties that threaten their marriage, most clearly in the tracks that bookend the album, Summer and Love, Happy Summer actually appears to pick up where Lemonade's All Night left off, a hopeful ode to their reconciliation.

[Beyoncé]

Let's make love in the summertime yeah on the sands beats Sands make plans to be in each other's ar Let.

[Narrator]

It breathe, let it breathe I wanna.

[Beyoncé]

Drown in the depths of you yeah yeah, yeah, yeah when the water's so.

[Cole Kushna]

Blue.

[Guest Speaker]

Here we return to the idea of their emotional and physical reunion, this time on the sandy beach shores in the summer In Sandcastles, Beyonce likened the foundation of their relationship to sandcastles that washed away with the rising tide. Having now reconciled, Summer finds the Carters returning to this beach imagery with a vision much closer to what Jay z described in 4:4 vacay till our backs Burn. The place that was once a metaphor for their crumbling relationship is now the site of their love renewed and made even stronger. This falls in line with Lemonade's emphasis on finding healing where the wound was made and its use of water as a recurring symbol for the duality of destruction and rebirth found in a single source. Beyonce continues Summer singing I want to drown in the depths of you, evoking her own 2013 song Rocking.

[Beyoncé]

Flow, hold me till I Scream.

[Guest Speaker]

This image of swimming in the depths of her partner not only shows their renewed intimacy, but also the fulfillment of her wish to end their love drought that she sings about in Lemonade. By repurposing imagery from their previous albums and songs, the Carters further illustrate the love that has been restored in the full destruction of the curses plaguing Beyonce in Lemonade and the personal demons Jay z confronts in 444. The Carters reiterate this in Love Happy, wherein Beyonce's refrain essentially summarizes this trajectory throughout the three albums.

[Beyoncé]

The ups and downs are worth it. Long way to go, but we're working.

[Narrator]

With.

[Cole Kushna]

Beyonce celebrates their love as deeper than her husband's pain and the source for transformation and change of his actions. She once again returns to the imagery of Lemonade, where she's saying about their flaws being the source of their perfection. Love Happy is the final celebration of the fruits of their labor, the hard work it took to salvage their marriage, and the breaking of the generational curses discussed in Lemonade. It's with this immense sense of triumph that Beyonce sings the closing words of Love Happy. The Carter's parting words are we came and we saw and we conquered it all. This is a loose translation of Roman general Julius Caesar's Latin phrase veni vidi vici, which he allegedly said to the Roman Senate after a swift victory in the Battle of Zela in 47 BC. The Carters not only declare victory over their marital difficulties, but likened themselves to an empire highlighting their black excellence. This kind of show of strength is a big theme that permeates the album, and it's most clearly expressed in the lead single Apeshit.

[Beyoncé]

Fast like a lambo I be jumping out the stage crowd better save us I can't believe we made it this is what we made, man. This is what we thankful this is what we thank I Can't Believe We Made It.

[Guest Speaker]

With Ape, the Carters offer up flex after flex, be it their accumulation of wealth and influence or their command of a stadium full of fans. When Beyonce says I can't believe we made it, it seems to refer not only to their saved marriage, but also to the fact that they both were able to become the global phenoms and billionaires they are today. However, just as in Lemonade, it's likely that Carter's meaning here extends beyond the personal into the political realm, especially when we contextualize their words with the visuals of Apeshit's music video. It was shot in the Louvre in Paris, a museum representing all the institutions that have historically excluded or diminished the many contributions to art history by black artists. The Louvre contains some of the most iconic pieces of art in the world, including the famous Venus de Milo statue, the Great Sphinx of Tanis, and of course, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa portrait, which the Carters posed directly in front of to begin the video. As Beyonce and a line of black female dancers hip roll in front of Jacques Louis David's painting the Coronation of Napoleon, we see Beyonce standing directly beneath the image of Napoleon's wife Josephine being crowned Empress of the French Empire. Likening herself to an empress, Beyonce appears to claim the Louvre as a black space just as she reclaimed the plantation setting throughout Lemonade. This display of regal black pride and excellence permeates the rest of the album as the Carters discuss their wealth as a means to empower the black community, most directly in the album's penultimate track, Black Effect.

[Narrator]

They've been at my neck, y' all could tell them Trayvon is coming next. The sec, the FBI, all the irs. I passed the Alphabet boys like an eye test here.

[Guest Speaker]

Jay Z raps about Khalif Browder, a black teenager who was imprisoned for three years without being being convicted of a crime. He tragically committed suicide after the abuse he received in confinement. In 2017, Jay Z produced a six part documentary series titled the Kalief Browder Story. In the following line, Jay Z promises Trayvon coming Next, referencing his 2018 documentary Rest in the Trayvon Martin Story. Regarding these documentaries, Jay Z told the New York Times, quote, there are a lot of things going on that lead to these sort of films, these docs that I'm creating now. It's more of an education because it's so egregious that people don't believe it. People have to really see this. They have to see it again and they have to see it with facts and details because people don't really believe it. Until the world believes it and everyone gets involved, it's going to be a black problem. Unquote. And so just like Lemonade, Everything Is Love finds the Carters using their platform to not only celebrate the beauty of the culture, but to also draw attention to the injustices the Black community faces. Having found personal healing, they turn their attention outward towards society, wielding their artistry, money, influence and empire in ways that are meant to uplift not only themselves and their family, but the Black community at large.

[Cole Kushna]

Conclusions While Lemonade and 444 are distinct self contained albums, the 2018 release of Everything Is Love further tied the two albums together, creating a unique trilogy effect amongst all three. Lemonade and 444 gave perspective to Beyonce and Jay Z's individual stories as the two navigated a crisis in their marriage. Each of them were forced to confront generational curses, eventually attesting to the vulnerability, honesty and strength through weakness that enabled them to heal their wounds both individually and as a couple. With Everything Is Love we see Beyonce and Jay Z evoke this unity by releasing music under one name, the Carters, as they celebrate their marriage and the curses they've overcome. This is an unprecedented project as no other musical partnership of their caliber has attempted such an interconnected narrative of betrayal and reunion spanning across three albums. In doing so, they leverage their enormous platforms to celebrate and empower the Black community. They lead both by example and through their art, and have blossomed into one of the most respected, intelligent and influential families in recent American history. Dissect is a production of Spotify Studios. If you enjoyed this season of Dissect, please tell a friend about the show or share on social media. You can follow us Dissect podcast and be sure to check out Our Limited Season 6 merchandise on dissectpodcast.com Today's episode was written by Maggie Lacey, audio editing by Eric Bass and me. Theme music by Bureaucratic all right, thanks everyone. Talk to you next time.