A JAY-Z album in 2024? That’s news to Roc Nation. The company founded by Hov responded to a claim from a video director who claimed to be working on Jay’s new album.
When NFR Podcast posted screenshots, Roc Nation reposted the announcement with a simple statement: “That’s news to us.”
JAY-Z has been holding down the performances at the Super Bowl halftime show for the last few years, picking Rihanna, Dr. Dre, and this year, Usher. But fans want to know when it’s his turn.
Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Hov said, “I thought it would be too selfish to pick myself. Maybe one year. Maybe.”
Jay-Z says it will be selfish to pick himself to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show “this early,” then says “maybe one year” pic.twitter.com/IKLJHQYZde
There is a bevy of artists on Uproxx’s most anticipated album releases set for 2024 list. However, Jay-Z isn’t on the list. The reasoning is that the “I Want You Forever” rapper hasn’t expressed any inkling that he’s looked in on a new solo studio project. From his 2023 public playlist to The Book Of Clarence soundtrack, these days, it seems like his focus has been on curating works for other projects.
Well, according to AWGE-affiliate Hidji, Jay-Z is ready to drop something new very soon. In a series of uploads to his Instagram Stories, the director suggested that Jay-Z has begun to film visuals to support the rumored project. However, Roc Nation swiftly jumped in to shut down the reports.
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“That’s news to us,” wrote the company on its official X (formerly Twitter) page.
So, what is the public to take from this flub? Either Jay-Z’s creative NDA isn’t as potent as it used to be. Or the visual in question isn’t for an album but a one-off music project. But with fans still waiting for Beyoncé’s Renaissance visuals, Hidji might’ve just forced another member of the Carter family to scrap their music videos.
Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The Book of Clarence film and soundtrack produced by British multi-talent Jeymes Samuel are in full effect. The music is being talked about a lot in particular. That is thanks in large part to JAY-Z’s contributions. He and Roc Nation were catalysts in bringing both pieces of art to fruition and they are delivering in a big way. Again, the music is getting a lot of praise, especially the Doja Cat, Kodak Black, and Adekunle Gold track “JEEZU.”
Since the movie focuses on religious themes, so too does the music. Adekunle brings booming vocals right from the jump. The production from Jeymes is epic and soulful with woodwind and organ elements, as well as nicely-placed gunshots. Kodak surprises with great lyricism and honesty about his life. Then, Doja Cat comes in with a hungry attitude.
Listen To “JEEZU” By Jeymes Samuel, Doja Cat, Kodak Black, Adekunle Gold, And Jeymes Samuel
Her rapping has vastly improved since the release of her controversial Scarlet LP. She is in peak form right now, “Cats dogmatic ’til they see I got the dog in me / Oh, you mad now? Oh, you hurtin’, shawty need a signature.” That is just one of the fantastic lines in her verse. Doja is proving again and again that she is a top-flight MC in the current state of hip-hop regardless of how you feel about her.
What are your thoughts on this brand-new song, “JEEZU,” by Doja Cat, Kodak Black, Adekunle Gold, and Jeymes Samuel? Is this the best track from THE BOOK OF CLARENCE (The Motion Picture Soundtrack), why or why not? Who had the better verse and why? We would like to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your hottest takes in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Doja Cat, Kodak Black, and The Book of Clarence film. Finally, stay with us for the most informative song posts throughout the week.
Quotable Lyrics:
Yup, y’all ain’t know me back then I was tapped in corners, I was backed in They gon’ judge me only based upon the fashion Mama taught me only judge ’em from they actions Free of guilt, because you never caught me lackin’ I know they watchin’ me
Jeymes Samuel is a true artist. He can really do it all and he proves that with two important projects today. The UK native has just rolled out his brand-new movie, The Book of Clarence, and its accompanying soundtrack. Over the past couple of months, the updates surrounding these pieces of art have gotten plenty of people intrigued. That is especially true for music fans because JAY-Z had a major hand in putting this together.
Hov is the executive producer for the album and film and he did a great job in doing all of that. JAY and Roc Nation were able to recruit loads of talent for the sonics. You can find Lil Wayne, Doja Cat, and Kodak Black, across the tape. In fact, Jay-Z also hit the studio to record a unique verse for “I Want You Forever.” He is alongside the legend of neo-soul, D’Angelo to create a funky and wavy ballad.
Listen To “I Want You Forever” By Jeymes Samuel, D’Angelo And JAY-Z
There are so many layers to the song, even with the lyrics being fairly minimal outside of JAY’s portion. From the incredible singing from D’Angelo and the background vocalists to the high-pitched synths, and guitar solo at the end, it all works beautifully. Hov’s verse is quite different because it has to fit in with the soulful production. But, even in the twilight of his career, he does a masterful job. Oh, the song is also nine-plus minutes, but JAY is used to that, and we do not mind it.
What are your initial thoughts on this brand-new song, “I Want You Forever,” by JAY-Z, D’Angelo, and Jeymes Samuel? Is this the best offering from THE BOOK OF CLARENCE (The Motion Picture Soundtrack)? Where does this rank among recent JAY-Z features? Do you like the different style he chose for it? We would like to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your hottest takes in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding JAY-Z. Finally, stay with us for the most informative song posts throughout the week.
Quotable Lyrics:
Hmm, in God we wait Got these n****s next level hatin’, matchmakin’ from the grave Y’all okay? Hmm Lovers don’t finally meet, they been in each other all along So way before you were born, and long after they’re gone Just sing my song (Song) Hmm
Despite pissing off a few hundred thousand followers in the process, Doja’s evolution to a full-fledged lyrical miracle rapper has been complete. After appearing on the track “Jeezu” off of The Book Of Clarence’s soundtrack, Doja Cat even earned the praises of Jay-Z (mainly rap purists’ goat).
On January 11, during the audio-only fireside chat, A Conversation with Jeymes Samuel And Jay-Z, hosted by Gia Peppers, the hip-hop titan showed love to Doja’s standout bars on X (formerly Twitter).
“Even with Doja [Cat] on [the soundtrack],” he said. “Her performance on [‘Jeezu’] was unlike anything that I’ve heard from her. The way she attacks that music it’s like, ‘Wow, this is a different Doja.’ And it may not be different for her. I don’t know. That’s a question for her. It may not have felt different for her, but as a listener, as someone who has consumed her music and loves what she does, I was like, ‘Man, this feels new for her.’ This feels like a new space.”
January 12, 2024 is going to be one of the biggest days of the year in terms of music. Fans are eating good today with releases from 21 Savage, Kid Cudi, and more. We can also add accomplished filmaker and singer/songwriter from the UK, Jeymes Samuel, to the list. His new movie, The Book of Clarence, has just hit theaters. It stars plenty of A-listers including Lakeith Stanfield, James McAvoy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Caleb McLaughlin, and Teyana Taylor.
JAY-Z had major contributions to this project as well. He is credited as an executive producer, showing how massive Roc Nation is. The legendary rapper also makes a hyped appearance on the accompanying soundtrack. Besides him, there is plenty of other great talent across the board.
Listen To THE BOOK OF CLARENCE (The Motion Picture Soundtrack) By Jeymes Samuel
Jorja Snith, Doja Cat, Kodak Black, Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, and more tie the rest of project together. The latter had the honor of being on the lead single “Hallelujah Heaven,” which say Weezy continue his great feature run. Right now, the movie is getting some positive feedback. So, go support and check it out at your local theater as soon as you can.
What are your initial thoughts on this brand-new album, THE BOOK OF CLARENCE (The Motion Picture Soundtrack), by Jeymes Samuel? Is this one of the best soundtrack projects of the past 10 years? Which songs are you gravitating toward right now? Who had the best feature and why? We would like to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your hottest takes in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Jeymes Samuel and The Book of Clarence film. Finally, stay with us for the most informative album posts throughout the week.
THE BOOK OF CLARENCE (The Motion Picture Soundtrack) Tracklist:
All About You (feat. Jorge Ben Jor)
Hallelujah Heaven (feat. Lil Wayne, Buju Banton & Shabba Ranks)
JEEZU with Jeymes Samuel, Doja Cat & Kodak Black (feat. Adekunle Gold)
Champagne (feat. Jorja Smith)
Sacred Love (feat. Yemi Alade)
I Want You Forever with Jeymes Samuel, D’ Angelo, JAY Z
When the film’s director and soundtrack executive producer, Jeymes Samuel, teased that the world wasn’t ready for what was up his sleeve, it wasn’t an exaggeration. Following months of fighting off claims that she’s a Satanist, The Book Of Clarence’s official soundtrack gave Doja Cat the divine platform to part her sea of haters for good. If there was ever any lingering doubt that Doja Cat isn’t a “real rapper,” it should be put to bed thanks to her verse on “Jeezu.”
Doja Cat lyrically rains holy hell down on her naysayers. “Pass the Kirkland, I see she thirstin’, see me, and they nerd out / I been doin’ God’s work, haters got the word out / Y’all got an agenda, but we’ll see how that gon’ turn out / Many false prophets leavin’ brothers with a firm doubt / Father, please forgive me, for today, they finna learn now / Put me in the dirt, and you gon’ see, I make it worthwhile,” raps Doja.
Yes, she’s a force in the pop space, but she made it clear that she’s no rap slouch. In his verse, Kodak Black used it as a confessional to address his troubled past with Adekunle Gold there to finish out the holy trinity.
Listen to Jeymes Samuel, Doja Cat, &Kodak Black’s new track “Jeezu” featuring Adekunle Gold above.
The Book Of Clarence is in theaters now. Find more information here.
It looks like Jay-Z’s new thing is packing a year’s worth of rhymes into his sporadic appearances via really long songs. In 2022, he dominated the eight-minute DJ Khaled track “God Did,” taking over half its runtime for an epic verse that got a spirited breakdown on MSNBC.
Today, he appears on a nine-minute track from the Book Of Clarence soundtrack, contributing a vibey, almost spoken word-ish verse to a spacey, funk-soul voyage also featuring the elusive neo-soul icon D’Angelo. It’s very groovy, black-lights-and-incense style P-Funk, complete with epic guitar solos and overlapping harmonies; Jay’s verse, while it might not be what people would expect from him, fits right in and has all the hallmarks of Aquemini-era Outkast.
The soundtrack, which is out today via Universal, also features appearances from dancehall staples Buju Banton and Shabba Ranks, who appear with Lil Wayne on “Hallelujah Heaven,” Kodak Black and Doja Cat on “Jeezu” with Adekunle Gold, Jorja Smith, Alice Smith (no relation), and Kid Cudi.
The film itself is also out in the theaters. It follows a poor citizen of Jerusalem, Clarence, who is inspired by a contemporary Jesus Christ to start his own religion in the hopes of rising out of poverty. He inadvertently starts a revolution.
The first JAY-Z bars of 2024 will arrive alongside D’Angelo on a 9-minute track for The Book of Clarence soundtrack. But could more be on the way?
Speaking with Level magazine, the film’s director, Jeymes Samuel, revealed that he speaks to Hov all the time, who, these days, comes up with new bars while he is working out.
“This guy wakes up at, like, five in the morning and he’s creating from the start,” Samuel said. “If he calls me and he’s on the treadmill, I’m gonna get new bars. That guy’s running and composing literally the illest rhymes you’ve ever heard.”
JAY-Z and film director Jeymes Samuel connected for a Q&A session with Elliott Wilson, where the song’s reveal was made. “It’s so deep. We got D’Angelo and JAY-Z on the same track,” Jeymes said. “like 9 minutes and 32 seconds of absolute soulful, biblical bliss.”
This Friday (January 12), the soundtrack for the upcoming movie, The Book Of Clarence, is set to drop. As the tracklist has been revealed, it features some seriously major artists, according to Genius.
Doja Cat is set to collaborate with Kodak Black and Adekunle Gold on “Jeezu.” D’Angelo and Jay-Z are performing “I Want You Forever,” which is reportedly nine minutes long, according to Vibe. Kid Cudi and Jorja Smith also make an appearance on the record with their respective songs. And so many more talented musicians are involved on top of that.
Lil Wayne’s appearance on “Hallelujah Heaven” was released as the first glimpse of the album back in November, which you can check out above.
“There was never a question as to whether I would compose the score and write and perform on the soundtrack, as well as write and direct the movie,” the film’s director, Jeymes Samuel, shared with Billboard. “It was all one amazing journey where one depended on the other. But I also worked with the most awesome artists on our track ‘Hallelujah Heaven.’ Collaborating with Lil Wayne, Buju Banton and Shabba Ranks was so dope; I loved getting them all on the same track.”
The film will also be available to watch in theaters starting this weekend.
Continue scrolling to view the complete tracklist for The Book Of Clarence.
The Book Of Clarence soundtrack tracklist
1. “All About You” Feat. Jorge Ben Jor
2. “Hallelujah Heaven” Feat. Lil Wayne, Buju Banton & Shabba Ranks
3. “Jeezu” Feat. Kodak Black, Doja Cat & Adekunle Gold
4. “Champagne” Feat. Jorja Smith
5. “Sacred Love” Feat. Yemi Alade
6. “I Want You Forever” Feat. D’Angelo & Jay-Z
7. “Godqueen” Feat. Kid Cudi
8. “Dear Heaven” Feat. Jeymes Samuel
9. “Magdalene” Feat. Alice Smith
10. “Varinia” Feat. Terry Callier
11. “Nazerne” Feat. Jeymes Samuel
