4:44

By Jay-Z

After more than two decades in the industry, hip-hop’s king of reinvention’s latest persona is a middleaged rap kingpin coming clean about his failings as a father, a son and a husband.

Jay-Z abandons the bravado, ruminates on the status quo and airs his dirty laundry (including his infidelity). Fans will miss the radio-friendly hits of yesteryear but the more cerebral, soulbaring 4:44 (named for the time he woke to write the track) doesn’t disappoint.