Now that you've deep-dived into all the Beyoncé drama and celebrity call-outs on 4:44, let's get into "Smile," JAY-Z's track with his mother, Gloria Carter. On the song, JAY-Z introduces her almost immediately as a lesbian. It's possible Gloria has been out to friends and family for a while, but this is her first public comment on the subject (and JAY-Z's first public acknowledgement of it as well).

"Mama had four kids, but she's a lesbian / Had to pretend so long that she's a thespian," Jay raps of his mum. "Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate / Society shame and the pain was too much to take." He continues: "Don't matter to me if it's a him or her / I just wanna see you smile through all the hate / Marie Antoinette, baby, let 'em eat cake."

She takes the opportunity to come out and conclude the song by singing:

Living in the shadow / Can you imagine what kind of life it is to live? / In the shadows, people see you as happy and free / Because that's what you want them to see / Living two lives, happy, but not free / You live in the shadows for fear of someone hurting your family or the person you love / The world is changing and they say it's time to be free / But you live with the fear of just being me / Living in the shadow feels like the safe place to be / No harm for them, no harm for me / But life is short, and it's time to be free / Love who you love, because life isn't guaranteed / Smile.

Listen to 4:44 here.

From: Cosmopolitan US
Headshot of Tess Koman
Tess Koman
Digital Director

Tess Koman covers breaking (food) news, opinion pieces, and features on larger happenings in the food world. She oversees editorial content on Delish. Her work has appeared on Cosmopolitan.com, Elle.com, and Esquire.com.