Entertainment
On June 6, Twitter exploded with speculation after a 4:44 ad was pushed through to all major hip hop music sites, TIDAL (Jay Z's premium streaming site), NYC billboards, and even taxis. And, if you ask me, there are a number of signs that the 4:44 ads mean a new Jay Z album is coming. Jay Z is notorious for keeping us on the edge of our seats when it comes to music. (Remember when he released a surprise collab with Drake and Kanye West in 2016 for songs “Pop Style” and “One Dance?) But the last time we heard Beyoncé's husband on a record was DJ Khaled's "Shining" featuring, well, Beyoncé. So it's only natural for fans to want to know if all signs point to a new album for the hip hop legend.
Update: On Wednesday, TIDAL announced that the 4:44 ads indicated a Sprint partnership that would bring Sprint customers exclusive content through TIDAL. While more details are yet to be released, a commercial starring Mahershala Ali and Danny Glover was released to clear things up.
Earlier: There are a slew of rumors regarding why this could be an album or even a song from Jay Z — but absolutely nothing confirms this, as of yet. Other rumors suggest that this ad could have something to do with the twins' arrival. As you could imagine, people on the internet are using their self-proclaimed PhD in Numerology to figure out just what in HOVA's world is going on. For now, I'm speculating along with them.
1The Image Address For The Ad Is TIDAL-444
On Complex, when you right click the image, it is named tidal-444. Jay Z happens to own the premium music streaming service, leading me to believe that this has everything to do with music and his ownership.
24:44 Links Jay, Beyoncé, And The Day They Were Married
Jay Z was born December 4, Queen B was born September 4, and the day they were married was April 4. As you might imagine, the could has kind of an obsession with the number four.
3The Ad Was On Nearly All Hip Hop Music & Culture Sites
Complex, 2DopeBoyz, and The Undefeated all featured the unclickable ad with the same image address.
4The 4:44 Ad Was At The Jay St. Subway Stop In New York
The New York native could have strategically placed an ad on a subway stop that links to his name.
5In Fact, The Ads Are All Over NYC
Billboards featuring the ad appeared all over the city on Tuesday, matching those found on the internet.
6Swiss Could Be Giving Us A Clue
In an Instagram post, Swizz shows himself and Jay Z with the caption "They don't even know what's about to happen 😂😂😂🙏🏽 Album ModeZone⚡️"
7This Wouldn't Be The First Time Jay Z Dropped A Surprise Album
Back in 2013, Jay dropped an exclusive surprise album titled Magna Carta Holy Grail that did extremely well.
4:44 AM and PM have passed us by since the first ad was posted, but I won't give up hope. Fans like myself will have to continue to sit back and patiently wait for something, anything to happen.