For Jay Z And New Album ‘4:44,’ Timing Is Everything

Jay Z has plenty of reasons to smile these days. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Jay Z and Beyoncé welcomed twins to the world this past weekend, but hip-hop’s second-wealthiest mogul didn’t take long to get back to business. Jay Z’s new album, 4:44, was announced through a tweet directing fans to the website of his Sprint-backed Tidal streaming service.

“Become a Sprint customer and get 6 complimentary months of TIDAL and access to JAY-Z’s album 4:44,” proclaims a banner situated beneath a...