The audio: Blue Ivy Carter, the heralded progeny of music superstars Beyonce and Jay-Z, may be just days old, but she's already making a guest appearance on a buzzy new hip-hop track. On Monday, new dad Jay-Z released "Glory," featuring "B.I.C." — the initials for Blue Ivy Carter. (Hear it below.) In the "touching" track, Jay-Z raps his awe over his daughter: "The most amazing feeling I feel/ Words can't describe what I'm feeling for real/ Maybe I paint the sky blue/ My greatest creation was you. You. Glory." The candid song reveals where baby Blue was conceived (Paris), acknowledges that Beyonce had a previous miscarriage, and ends with the sound of a baby's cries — reportedly Blue Ivy's first.
The reaction: "Leave it to the Hova to get his daughter on a song when she is less than 48 hours old," says Amy Sciaretto at Popcrush. Hearing little baby Blue cry is "really the sweetest thing." It's surprising that Jay is so candid in the track as well; the news of the miscarriage is quite tragic. This song and its lyrics may be uncharacteristically simple and straightforward for the rapper, says Aylin Zafar at TIME. But it's still "refreshing and heartwarming to [hear] the rap giant humbled by his creation of life." Sure, it's sweet, says Steven Hyden at The A.V. Club. But let's be honest: The track is "pretty mushy." Judge for yourself:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The bougie foods causing international shortagesIn the Spotlight Pistachios join avocados and matcha on list of social media-driven crazes that put strain on supply chains and environment
-
Strep infections are rising in the USUnder the radar The cases have more than doubled in 10 years
-
Sudoku hard: April 22, 2025The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
