Jay-Z reveals his mother is gay in pro-LGBT anthem on new album 4:44

Jay-Z revealed that his mother is gay in a pro-LGBT anthem which features on his brand new album 4:44.

The US rapper – real name Shawn Carter – has opened up about his mother’s Gloria Carter’s sexuality for the first time on ‘Smile’, which was released exclusively on the music mogul’s streaming service TIDAL on Friday (June 30).

The track, which includes vocals by Gloria herself, sees Jay-Z address the struggle the mother-of-four went through while coming to terms with her lesbian identity, Showbiz411 reports.

The 47-year-old husband of Beyoncé Knowles raps: “Push through the pain so we can see new life/So all the ladies havin’ babies, see a sacrifice

“Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian/Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian/Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate/Society shame and the pain was too much to take

“Cried tears of joy when you fell in love/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”.

‘Smile’ also includes a moving outro spoken by Gloria, who declares: “Love who you love, because life isn’t guaranteed.”

While speculation has previously surrounded the romantic life of Jay-Z’s mother, the track marks the first time she or her son have publicly addressed her sexuality.

Gloria’s full lyrics are as follows:

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 a preview of ‘Smile’ below:

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