Tidal unveils 4:44 trailer starring Mahershala Ali and Danny Glover

The mysterious project will feature Lupita Nyong’o too, and fans think there could be new music from Jay Z

Speculation regarding a new Jay Z album has been rife for several months now. Ever since Swizz Beatz made an Instagram post earlier this year featuring the Brooklyn rapper with the caption “AlbumZoneMode”, fans have been eagerly anticipating an album announcement. Furthermore, mysterious ads bearing the numbers ‘4:44’ have been spotted around New York subway stations, the Times square in Manhattan, LA and coincidentally the Jay St. stop in Brooklyn.

Now, it’s been revealed that the 4:44 is a collaboration between Tidal – Jay Z’s streaming platform – and Sprint. A teaser trailer was aired on Wednesday (7 June) at the NBA finals, starring Moonlight actor Mahershala Ali boxing whilst Danny Glover looks on. Ali appears to be experiencing some inner turmoil, and the credits announce that 4:44 will star the two actors alongside Lupita Nyong’o – who doesn’t appear in the trailer.

Though a collaboration has been announced, it remains ambiguous as to what the partnership is and whether it ties in to new music from Jay Z. Fans remain hopeful that 4:44 is connected to new material from the artist.

Rumours have been further fuelled by how Jay Z and Beyonce have attached a great amount of significance to the number ‘4’ in the past. The couple both have tattoos of the roman numeral ‘IV’ and their birthdays respectively fall on the fourth day of their birth months – September and December. Their wedding anniversary is on 4 April. The Roc Nation rapper has also previously released the songs 22 Twos – from 1996’s Reasonable Doubt – and 44 Fours from Kingdom Come.

Further information will be revealed tomorrow. Meanwhile, see the collaboration announcement below and scroll down for some fan theories.

 

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