What Jay-Z learned from therapy: “I grew so much from the experience”
Jay-Z released his 4:44 album in 2017, two decades after his debut album. He’s come a long way since 1996, and his last project is one of the most confessional of his career; it almost felt like a therapy session. That personal aspect might not have been achieved if Hov hadn’t attended therapy and benefitted from the experience.
Jay first contacted a therapist through the recommendation of friends who had “been through a lot” and “come out on the other side as whole individuals.” Something he learned during their sessions is the connection between every emotion and the importance of acknowledging all of those feelings.
“I grew so much from the experience,” he told The New York Times. “But I think the most important thing I got is that everything is connected. Every emotion is connected and it comes from somewhere. And just being aware of it. Being aware of it in everyday life puts you at such a … you’re at such an advantage.”
He was able to use those conversations to make sense of racism and bullying, bringing up examples of fights when he was growing up in the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn.
“You know, you realise that if someone’s racist toward you, it ain’t about you. It’s about their upbringing and what happened to them, and how that led them to this point,” he said. “You know, most bullies bully. It just happen. Oh, you got bullied as a kid, so you trying to bully me. I understand. And once I understand that, instead of reacting to that with anger, I can provide a softer landing and maybe, ‘Aw, man, is you OK?’
“I was just saying there was a lot of fights in our neighbourhood that started with, ‘What you looking at? Why you looking at me? You looking at me?’ And then you realise: ‘Oh, you think I see you. You’re in this space where you’re hurting, and you think I see you, so you don’t want me to look at you. And you don’t want me to see you.'”
Jay added, “You don’t want me to see your pain. You don’t … So you put on this shell of this tough person that’s really willing to fight me and possibly kill me ’cause I looked at you. You know what I’m saying, like, so … Knowing that and understanding that changes life completely.”
4:44 was released in June 2017 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 262,000 units. No ID produced the entire album, including memorable tracks like ‘The Story of OJ’ and ‘Family Feud’. Tough topics on the LP include cheating on his wife, Beyoncé, and revealing that his mother was a closeted lesbian.
“That’s who I am,” he said about telling his life story. “And I’ve done it from the beginning of my career. Two things: one, no one knew the characters [back then]. So it wasn’t as impactful. And two, it wasn’t coming from a place where it was as evolved. And it’s very difficult. It’s hard to hear songs back. It’s hard to perform … songs, but, um, I feel it’s the most important work that I’ve done.”