A lot happened at Jay-Z’s “4:44” album listening party in Los Angeles, but he wasn’t around to see it.
Probably.
As an intern at TheWrap, I wasn’t sure what to expect at my first album listening event. I knew the album would be streamed at some point (hence the name “listening party”), but beyond that, I had no idea what would happen. Would Jay-Z show up? Maybe. Would Beyoncé show up? Probably not. Would Jay-Z AND Beyoncé show up WITH THE TWINS?! Highly unlikely, but a girl can hope, right?
The party took place at 1 Oak, a swanky West Hollywood nightclub. Overall, there were 150 to 200 people present — press and media, along with anyone lucky enough to have scored a free pass through their Tidal subscription. The club was a bit crowded, but not totally packed.
For about an hour, I chatted with fellow attendees and sipped a delicious mix of Cognac and lemonade while Jay-Z’s past music thumped through the speakers. I nodded my head to the music and marveled at the club’s sparkling chandeliers and immaculate, plush cream sofas.
Then at 9 o’clock, it was time to release the Kraken…er, album. Legendary radio personality Angie Martinez hyped up the crowd before introducing each of 4:44’s 13 tracks. The first track played, a lively little banger, and I’m totally into it.
But about halfway through the song, the music suddenly cut off. Awkward. Angie blamed Wifi issues and promised to have the music back up ASAP. The crowd grumbled but nonetheless got over any feelings of annoyance when the music continued.
Now, about trying to find Jay-Z at his own party. Toward the start of the event, the bouncers shooed everyone away from the walkways, insisting the aisles needed to be cleared. I couldn’t figure out why until I overheard one crucial bit of information. Or perhaps misinformation.
Two fellow press ladies I had been talking to told me that a bouncer had told them that Jay-Z was here and was going to come out soon. Apparently, that was why the aisles needed to be clear. When I learned about this, I got even more excited. Jay-Z was going to come out at any minute, and I didn’t want to miss it.
But an hour passed, with no Jay-Z. Surely he would have come out by now. Perhaps he was attending one of the other listening parties around the country, or, Santa-like, dropping in on each of them. I really had to go to the bathroom but didn’t want to risk missing a Jay-Z appearance. So I held my bladder. I walked around the club. I ordered a $13 glass of champagne that wasn’t worth $13. At 10:30, I started to get skeptical. He still hasn’t come out. Would he? Was he even here?
Whether he was or not, I really had to go to the bathroom. So I snuck off to the restroom downstairs. I never actually got to use the restroom, because I got wrapped up in a hysterically bizarre conversation with two Sprint reps — one of whom said he was also an animal control officer. This went on for 45 minutes. I laughed. And nearly peed myself.
Unfortunately, Jay-Z never came out. In fact, I don’t think he was actually there. I stayed for the full 3-hour event and didn’t see him. Even when I was downstairs, surely I would have heard an announcement that he was here and any subsequent loud cheering from the crowd.
My guess is the bouncers told the two ladies from earlier that Jay-Z was there just to get them to move out of the walkway. I tried to confirm with the event’s PR coordinator if the rapper was actually present but never got a response.
I didn’t stop with the PR rep, though. Going into watchdog mode, I combed the Internet for answers, checking Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for anything that might hint if Jay-Z was at that listening party. Nothing.
I even reached out to Jay-Z’s publicist. And 1 Oak Los Angeles. 10 emails and 60 phone calls later, still nothing.
Whether Jay-Z made an appearance at his L.A. album listening party, I still don’t know. Either way, I was happy to be there and listen to “4:44,” which is a great album.