"4:44" is a song by American hip hop artist Jay-Z, released as the lead single from his thirteenth studio album of the same name. It was written by Jay-Z and its producer No I.D. The song contains a sample of "Late Nights and Heartbreak", written by Kanan Keeney—who is credited as a songwriter—and performed by Hannah Williams and The Affirmations, along with an uncredited interpolation from "(At Your Best) You Are Love" by the Isley Brothers.[1] The title of the song is the same as the song's length. 4:44 received universal acclaim for Jay-Z’s lyricism about his regret of infidelity to Beyoncé and the sample-based production. Following the release of the album, the song charted in Belgium, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It received nominations for Song of the Year and Best Rap Performance at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.

"4:44"
Single by Jay-Z
from the album 4:44
ReleasedJuly 11, 2017
GenreConscious hip hop
Length4:44
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)No I.D.
Jay-Z singles chronology
"Biking"
(2017)
"4:44"
(2017)
"Bam"
(2017)
Music video
"4:44" on YouTube

Personnel

edit

Charts

edit
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[2] 84
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[3] 69
France (SNEP)[4] 84
UK Singles (OCC)[5] 73
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[6] 18
US Billboard Hot 100[7] 35
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[8] 15

Certifications

edit
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[10] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Awards

edit
Award Date of ceremony Category Result
Grammy Awards[11] January 28, 2018 Song of the Year Nominated
Best Rap Performance Nominated

Release history

edit
Region Date Format Label(s) Ref.
United States July 11, 2017 Rhythmic contemporary [12]

References

edit
  1. ^ Ortiz, Edwin. "Here Are the Samples Used on Jay Z's '4:44'". Complex. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  2. ^ "Jay-Z – 4:44" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  3. ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  4. ^ "JAY-Z – 4:44" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  5. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  6. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  7. ^ "Peter-Tobin Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  8. ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  9. ^ "British single certifications – Jay-Z – 04:44". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  10. ^ "American single certifications – Jay-Z – 4:44". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  11. ^ Kreps, Daniel (November 28, 2017). "Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars Lead 2018 Grammy Nominees". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  12. ^ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.