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Jay Z just released his first single in years and you can listen to it right here

Published Jul 8th, 2016 8:33AM EDT
Jay Z Spiritual Stream

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Jay Z says “spiritual” is a work in progress that he never quite had the time to finish, but the track was released anyway late on Thursday night for good reason. The song, which marks the first new single the famed rapper has released in years, discusses what it’s like to be a black person in America right now. It’s particularly poignant in light of the recent killings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and, sadly, many more. The release also comes on the same evening as the horrific shooting of 11 police officers who took sniper fire while guarding a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas, TX.

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Jay Z released the following text alongside the new single:

I made this song a while ago, I never got to finish it.

Punch (TDE) told me I should drop it when Mike Brown died, sadly I told him, “this issue will always be relevant.” I’m hurt that I knew his death wouldn’t be the last……

I’m saddened and disappointed in THIS America – we should be further along.

WE ARE NOT.

I trust God and know everything that happens is for our greatest good, but man…. it’s tough right now.

Blessings to all the families that have lost loved ones to police brutality.

– j

The new song is available to stream exclusively on Tidal, of which Jay Z is part owner, and its artwork is a black square. You’ll find the track embedded below in its entirety. If the embedded player fails (which it will, because WordPress) you can stream it right here.

//embed.tidal.com/tidal-embed.js

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.