When you hear that an artist is working on their 13th album, usually people write them off like “I might check it out”.  It’s almost as if they’re saying the artists best days are behind them.  Totally remove Jay-Z from that list of artists who you think are done.  With age comes wisdom, and Hov is even wiser than he ever was.  4:44 is a time stamp of sorts.  His views haven’t changed, only expanded.  No ID handles all of the production and takes sample chops over synths and 808 bass lines.  On “Kill Jay-Z”, he s calm, but you can sense the anger.  “But you ain’t the same, this ain’t kumbyaya. But, you got hurt ’cause you did cool by Ye (Kanye).  You gave ’em 20 million without blinking, he gave you 20 minutes on stage, fuck was he thinking?”  On the magical sounding “The Story of O.J.” over choppy piano samples, talks about the marathon, and not the race.    “Y’all on the gram holding money to your ear, there’s a disconnect, we don’t call that money over here.”  ID puts together a rolling groove for “Smile”, and Jay opens up about his mother.  “Mama had 4 kids, but she’s a lesbian. Had to pretend so long, that she’s a thespian. Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate. Society’s shame and the pain was too much to take.  Cried tears of joy when you fell in love. Don’t matter to me if it’s a him or her.  I just want to see you smile through all the hate.  Marie Antoinette baby, let ’em eat cake.”  On the title track, he openly apologizes to his wife.  “You are loved, and because, I fall short of what I say I’m all about.  Your eyes leave with the soul that your body once housed.  And, you stare blank me in to space thinking of all the time you wasted aired on all this basic shit.  So, I apologize.  A few more stand out cuts are “Family Feud”,  “Legacy” and “Marcy Me”.  “Marcy Me, streets is my artery, vein of my existence, I’m the Gotham city heartbeat.  I started in lobbies, now I poli with Saudis. . .”   It’s a near perfect album. With age comes Wisdom.  From the look of things, Hov will only become wiser as he becomes older.