"Song Cry" is a song by American rapper

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

and produced by

Just Blaze Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Smith attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue a career in mus ...

. Released on April 16, 2002, it was the fourth and final single from his sixth studio album '' The Blueprint'' and also appears on the 2001 live album '' Jay-Z: Unplugged''. "Song Cry" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance but lost to " Hot in Herre" by

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

. The song samples Bobby Glenn's "Sounds Like a Love Song".

Background and content

In an interview with

Bill Maher William MaherStated on ''Finding Your Roots'', January 12, 2016, PBS; on a series that lists "Jr." and "Sr." distinctions, Bill Maher's birth name was listed simply as William Maher, while his father was William Aloysius Maher Jr., and his pa ...

, Jay-Z stated that this song was actually inspired by three different relationships he had in the past, and he wrote about his different experiences all together in different verses. The song is a slow and quiet melodic rap ballad in which Jay-Z laments the break-up of an earlier relationship due to his own neglect and infidelity. Admitting that he is too prideful to publicly display his emotions ("I can't see 'em coming down my eyes"), Jay-Z forces the song to "cry" instead. This allows Jay-Z to mourn the break-up free of any damage to his

masculine Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some beh ...

image as a street hustler. This furthers the notion that emotional vulnerability is a sign of weakness, especially within the Black community, as Black men in particular suppress vulnerability "in order to survive."

Live performances

The live performance of "Song Cry" from Jay-Z's 2001

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...

album features female vocalist

Jaguar Wright Jacquelyn Suzette Wright is an American singer and songwriter. She has released five studio albums and is part of the Okayplayer collective. Wright has performed and collaborated alongside rap acts such as the Roots, Jay-Z, and Blackalicious ...

singing a sample of "Sounds Like a Love Song" by Bobby Glenn, though Wright is not identified in the liner notes of the album. During his 2006 ''Water for Life'' Tour, Jay-Z performed "Song Cry" at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

, the venue's first ever hip hop show. American actress

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow ( ; born September 27, 1972) is an American actress and businesswoman. The daughter of filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner, she established herself as a leading lady appearing in mainly mid-budget and perio ...

did the chorus. The song was also included on the set-lists of his all-stadium tours On the Run Tour in 2014 and OTR II in 2018, both with co-headliner and wife

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

Credits and personnel

The credits for "Song Cry" are adapted from the liner notes of ''The Blueprint''. ;Studio locations * Mastered at Masterdisk,

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. * Mixed and recorded at Baseline Studios, New York City, New York. ;Personnel *

–

songwriting A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

(The female singer singing the hook is uncredited) *

– production, songwriting * Douglas Gibbs – songwriting * Ralph Johnson – songwriting * Young Guru – recording * Shane Woodley – recording assistant * Jason Goldstein – mixing * Tony Dawsey – mastering ;Samples * "Song Cry" contains samples of "Sounds Like a Love Song", as performed by Bobby Glenn and written by Douglas Gibbs and Ralph Johnson.

Charts

References

2002 songs 2002 singles Jay-Z songs Chipmunk soul songs Music videos directed by Sanaa Hamri Song recordings produced by Just Blaze Songs written by Just Blaze Roc-A-Fella Records singles Songs about heartache 2000s ballads {{2000s-hiphop-single-stub

Background and content

Live performances

Credits and personnel

Charts

See also

References