With ‘4:44,’ Jay-Z Advances Wu-Tang’s Album Model While Padding Coffers

Wu-Tang and Jay-Z: Redefining the value of the album.

Jay-Z and the Wu-Tang Clan have a lot in common: both acts hail from the outer boroughs of New York, both dominated the 1990s hip-hip scene and–once again–both have a hyphen in their names. More recently, both have been reinventing the time-honored album format.

Three years ago, FORBES broke the news that Wu-Tang would create just one copy of its album The Wu–Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, which had been recorded in secret over a period of s...