If JAY-Z is grinning right now, he has good reason. In stark contrast with the pandering middle-of-the-road bloat of Magna Carta Holy Grail, it seems he has made a very good album for the first time in ages. He signals early on 4:44 that this is a family affair, and “Smile” is the most striking example. He opens up in ways we’ve rarely heard. The most noteworthy, of course, is when he nonchalantly reveals his mother, Gloria Carter, is gay, rapping, “Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian/Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian.”
Like No I.D.’s production, built around a beloved Stevie Wonder song, JAY-Z’s verses here are filled with warmth, with a simple message about learning from adversity. Most surprisingly of all, though, JAY-Z is near peak form as a rapper. There are sneaky internal rhymes (“Everybody wave bye to the guy you thought you could lie to”) as he rips into people who’ll rip the album from Tidal, casting his own business success within the black American struggle. In a classy move that’s also a tearjerker, the final word goes to his mom.
