Listen to this when
Kill Jay Z
The hardest conversation you'll ever have is with the version of you that keeps getting in your own way. 🪞
Who it's for
By addressing himself in the second person, Jay-Z externalises his ego, which lets listeners watch a powerful man interrogate his own persona, a perspective shift that makes self-criticism feel constructive rather than crushing.
Feelings it meets
What it is
"Kill Jay Z" is the opening track of Jay-Z's 2017 album 4:44, produced by No I.D. with Jay-Z and built on a sample of The Alan Parsons Project's "Don't Let It Show." The song is about "killing" his ego, the public Jay Z persona, so that Shawn Carter can have an honest, vulnerable conversation with himself.
Where to find it
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music (widely available); also on Tidal.
Before you start
Heads up: Strong language and references to violence.
Age: Ages 16+
Yet you cannot lay remorse upon the innocent nor lift it from the heart of the guilty.Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, “On Crime and Punishment”
