“I think the success … will give more artists the … confidence to be yourself and not chase things (that) you don’t know about that aren’t true to you,” said Jay-Z, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year. He hopes the honestly on his “4:44” and Rhett’s “Life Changes” will encourage and inspire others to be authentic in songwriting. Jay-Z said that many times the fear with artists is that creators get to a point where they start trying to make something popular instead of recording honest, vulnerable music. I think that’s what made me fall in love with songwriting in the first place, is hearing about real legit issues and heartbreak and happiness.” But at the same time, for me I think I would rather tell the hardcore truth rather than float in a fairytale land that nothing is ever wrong. “If they ever release songs that make (fans) feel differently about them, it’s a scary spot to be in. “A lot of artists become these people that fans look up to,” Rhett said. More: Thomas Rhett tops charts again with “T-Shirt," “Star of the Show” More: Exclusive: Thomas Rhett reveals new album Life Changes The couple adopted a daughter, Willa, from Africa earlier this year and Akins recently gave birth to their daughter, Ada. Today Rhett's contemporary, genre-busting songs are often inspired by wife Lauren Akins, who is universally adored by his fans. In the end, the payoff to you as an artist … as someone who is super credible and someone who cares about their craft … far outweighs the difficulty in getting to that point.”įor Rhett, who released his Grammy-nominated “Life Changes” in September, writing a song that conflicts with his image is “a scary thing.”Įarly in Rhett’s career, he wore cowboy boots and had a significantly more traditional sound than his current music. But this is my real life … and people, especially when they are critiquing things, they don’t have the empathy. You feel naked … for the whole world to judge what you’re saying and your truth and sometimes minimize it to a song. “You don’t want to be vulnerable in front of the world. “Yeah, it’s is very difficult, it’s difficult for a lot of reasons,” Jay-Z said. Rhett and Frasure became acquainted with Jay-Z through their joint ventures with Roc Nation, a music and entertainment company the rapper co-founded. In a rare interview, the hip-hop mogul - joined by country singer and fellow Grammy nominee Thomas Rhett and Rhett's frequent co-writer/co-producer Jesse Frasure - shared thoughts with the USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee on the pain and importance of telling the truth in songwriting. Related: Jay Z's Roc Nation opens Nashville office More: Jay-Z tells Nashville audience, 'Love will always trump hate'
He rapped about almost letting the “baddest girl in the world get away” on the album’s opening track. When nominations for the 60th Grammy Awards were revealed last month, Jay-Z earned eight nominations, making him a leading nominee. When Jay-Z released “4:44,” his first album in four years over the summer, fans and critics clamored to listen to the long-awaited project - one they were sure would be laden with lyrical hints, if not details, of his private life with Beyoncé, and his rumored affair. Authenticity and heart were important to me.Watch Video: Jay-Z opens up on songwriting: The truth is 'difficult'
It was important that the music was not only performed by the most interesting and talented artists but also produced by the best African producers. Each song was written to reflect the film’s storytelling that gives the listener a chance to imagine their own imagery, while listening to a new contemporary interpretation. It is influenced by everything from R&B, pop, hip hop and Afro Beat. I wanted to put everyone on their own journey to link the storyline. It is a mixture of genres and collaboration that isn’t one sound. I wanted to do more than find a collection of songs that were inspired by the film. In a previous announcement for The Gift, Queen Bey described the album as “sonic cinema…this is a new experience of storytelling. The 14-track album will release on Friday (July 19), the same day as the Jon Favreau-directed re-imagining of the film which stars Keegan-Michael Key, Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, John Oliver, Eric Andre, James Earl Jones, JD McCrary, Florence Kasumba and more.