Jay Z has released a raw and revealing addendum to his most recent album “4:44.”, a short documentary film titled Footnotes for 4:44.
The rapper, 47, uses the 11-minute video in part to open up about his troubled marriage to Beyoncé.
“This is my real life. I just ran into this place and we built this big, beautiful mansion of a relationship that wasn’t totally built on the 100 percent truth, and it starts cracking. Things start happening that the public can see,” he says in the clip released on Tidal on Monday, July 10. “Then we had to get to a point of, ‘OK, tear this down and let’s start from the beginning.'”
He also expounds on a particularly rough patch, revealing that fighting for his relationship was tougher and more challenging that his often-difficult childhood — including the moment he was “shot at.”
“Remember we just talked about me: I’m from Marcy Projects. I’ve been shot at. But nothing is harder than this. By far. I’m telling you, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he continues. “Most humans, us, you know what I mean? We’re not willing to put ourselves through that. Most people give up.”
The confession comes just one month after the superstar couple welcomed twins — a boy and a girl.
The “Marcy Me” hitmaker goes on to sum up the power couple’s decision to stay together.
“We just got to a place where in order for this to work, this can’t be fake,” he says. “Not one ounce. I’m not saying it wasn’t uncomfortable because obviously it was.”
The video also features appearances from Chris Rock, Will Smith, Kendrick Lamar, Aziz Ansari and Mahershala Ali — all of whom discuss their own relationships with women and family.
The confession comes just one month after the birth of his twins — a boy and girl — with his wife of nine years, Beyoncé.
TMZ report that the superstar couple have named their new arrivals Rumi and Sir Carter.
It’s believed the inspiration behind the quirky monikers comes from the 13th century Persian poet Rumi, who references the sir line in one of his poems, which reads: “Bring the pure wine of love and freedom. But sir, a tornado is coming.”
Beyoncé and Jay Z are yet to confirm the claims but they sure sound way more accurate than a previous report from Media Takeout, which alleged they were called Sean and Bea.
The couple also share one other child, a five-year-old daughter named Blue Ivy.
