So after a few days, we finally have some information about the mysterious 4:44 ads that have been popping up – and it doesn’t seem to be what many expected.
Earlier this week, ads with the number 4:44 began to surface online and around New York City. Many saw that the ads traced back to Tidal, so they were believed to be another piece of evidence hinting that a new Jay Z album is coming soon.
But during Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, a commercial aired that gave a better look into what 4:44 actually is – which is still unclear. The commercial shows a sweaty Mahershala Ali beating a punching bag as Danny Glover holds it in place for him. The end of the trailer says that 4:44 is “starring” Ali, Glover and Lupita Nyong’o, and that the project is a collaboration between Tidal and Sprint.
Visiting the URL shared in the commercial simply leads to a page that essentially says “stay tuned.” And Thursday morning (June 8), @SprintNews said that Sprint customers could get a complimentary six-month trial with the streaming service.
Jay Z didn’t appear in this first commercial, but there’s clearly still more that needs to be found out. And as Complex speculates, the abundance of resources being used seems to still be pointing at his involvement. There was a song playing in the background of the ad; maybe that’s the instrumental for a new Hov record? Revolt TV will provide more updates as they arrive.