Jay Z's Song "4:44" Is His Answer to Beyoncé's 'Lemonade'

In 2016, Beyoncé released Lemonade, the critically acclaimed album that, among other things, suggested that Jay Z had cheated during their relationship. Rumors of Hov cheating and some woman named Becky (who apparently had the good hair) had many joking about how Jay would respond, or if he'd respond at all. With the release of his 13th solo album 4:44, he spent the four-minute-and-44-second long track "4.44" not only breaking down his side of the situation, but apologizing for his mistakes.

For real though, Hov uses the word "apologize" seven times on the track, which kicks off with vocals from Kim Burrell:

The first "apologize" is followed by "often womanize," with Hov admitting to his transgressions very early on. He mentions not only taking too long to write this song, but says that he doesn't deserve Bey, which is a natural response to your woman finding out you fucked the fuck up. Hov also touches on some heavy subjects on this song, including apologizing for "all the stillborns," a reference to the miscarriages they've gone through in the past.

The second verse digs into the hopes that happily married couples deal with, like the idea that they're supposed to "vacay 'til our backs burn," but admits that he sucks at love and he needs "a do-over."

These are grown-man bars about married life that read like lines from an IRL argument he had with Bey that scarred him deeply. For anyone who wondered if Hov would even touch on the pain Bey went through via Lemonade, "4:44" is exactly what you assumed Hov would do, and might even be what he wrote to get Bey back.

The best part? The track right after "4:44," "Family Feud," features Bey and has Hov repeatedly saying "we all lose when the family feuds." The union is strong, but based on "4:44," it took some work overcoming Hov's faults to get where the Carters are now.