From Darcwonn at The Intersection of Madness and Reality:
Within hip hop, going political meant going against the powers that be for a better existence.
The problem within hip hop is that much of the political artform isn’t celebrated as it used to be. Long gone are the days of collab tracks like “Self Destruction” and “We All In The Same Gang”. Groups like Public Enemy are more viable toward historical revisits on Unsung. And when was the last time a politically charged hip hop album went platinum? Most mainstream rappers shy away from these types of topics nowadays out of fear, loathing, and misunderstanding.
Enter Jay-Z’s album 4:44.
When 4:44 dropped, the world was ablaze about the music and the message. After a few weeks, a simple realization set in: people were shocked to see a grown up Jay-Z. Instead of talking about reckless riches, he was trying to educate the masses on how to spend their money. Instead of talking up his masculinity, he reflected on his mother’s lesbianism. Instead of shirking his husbandly duties, he admitted to his marital follies. In the end, Sean Carter decided to be a man’s man instead of a boy’s man.
Just because Jay-Z decided to grow up doesn’t mean that he put out a political album. And that is where Greg Tate got it wrong in his article The Politicization of Jay-Z in Village Voice.