Hip hop icon and all-around entertainment industry heavyweight Jay Z has announced the upcoming release of a brand new studio album, 4:44, on June 30th. The new album is Jay’s first since 2013’s Magna Carta…Holy Grail.
Just like Magna Carta…Holy Grail, which was initially made available via a specially designed mobile app for Samsung customers, 4:44 will have a similarly unorthodox rollout. Jay’s streaming service, Tidal, has been teasing this announcement for weeks, plastering nondescript 4:44 ads all over popular hip-hop sites and even installing massive billboards in major metropolitan areas. The streaming service has also been sharing videos on YouTube featuring actors Mahershala Ali, Lupita Nyong’o and Danny Glover for the past few weeks, hinting that the album may have an extensive visual component.
Here’s a 30 second clip of what’s to come:
The reason for Tidal’s heavy involvement in the advertising buzz behind 4:44 is now confirmed: the album will be exclusively released to customers of Tidal and cell phone carrier Sprint. It’s the first offering of its kind since Sprint acquired 33% of Jay Z’s music streaming service in January as part of a partnership that included access to the app’s exclusive music content for the carrier’s customers.
Other than rumors that Jay Z has been working with producers Zaytoven and Swizz Beatz over the past several months, there is still not much known about the actual music on the album. But considering Jay’s unorthodox and inventive marketing acumen, it’s a good bet to assume that this is far from the end of the 4:44 hype plan.
[via CNN Money]