Struggle and success have punctuated the legendary rise of [JAŸ-Z](https://www.grammy.com/artists/jay-z/9815), and in his latest album, 4:44, already a platinum success, he breaks new ground rapping about his mature struggles.

Released first as a Tidal exclusive on June 30, accompanied by a Sprint promotion, 4:44 went platinum by July 5 before being widely offered for download. New tracks and the album's first video are just some of the exciting news attending its publicity rollout. A nationwide tour was announced on June 10.

But behind this excitement, GRAMMY-winning album producer No ID's  sample work provides sensitivities and sensibilities that add greater emotional depth to what Jay referred to as "trying to give you a million dollars' worth of game for $9.99."

For a deeper look inside 4:44's curation process, Genius News published a unique compilation counting through the many samples on 4:44, comparing the original tracks to their creative re-uses in this year's latest blockbuster.

GRAMMY-winning artists among the sampled tracks include the Clark Sisters, the Fugees, Donny Hathaway, and Stevie Wonder, and GRAMMY-nominated artists Alan Parsons, Nina Simone and Totó la Momposina.

The diverse range of these and other artists' statements on the album become remixed into something uniquely JAŸ-Z: reverent to the past, while always staying creative and hustling in the present.

Read more: The making of Beyoncé's Lemonade