Jay-Z’s album revives debate
Streaming exclusive plan for the rapper’s ‘4:44’ may shut out, and upset, some fans.
As if he’s not busy enough with his new twins, Beyoncé’s husband and the father of three Jay-Z announced Monday morning that he’ll be releasing his new album, “4:44,” on June 30.
The platinum-selling rapper and founder of the brand Roc Nation will deliver his first studio album in nearly four years through an exclusive arrangement with the streaming service he coowns, Tidal, in partnership with one of its primary investors, the phone carrier Sprint.
The news was a marketing coup for Sprint and Tidal, and one with which Jay-Z is relatively familiar. His last work, 2013’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” was first made available to customers of electronics company Samsung.
This time around, Sprint has pledged to donate $2 from every new line activation to its charitable arm dedicated to providing lowincome high school students with Internet access.
But the move has also appeared to irk a lot of his fans, many of whom are still