When Beyoncé used her incredible album Lemonade to chronicle how a protagonist got through infidelity from her husband, many wondered if Jay-Z would respond on wax. Not only did Jay do just that on 4:44, but he did so on one of the most vulnerable songs of his career.

On the title track to 4:44, Jay-Z apologizes to Beyoncé for his transgressions. With a nervous, vulnerable flow, he digs into everything: he admits to being a womanizer in the first line of the song, and apologizes for squandering his relationship. He even blames himself for Beyonce’s miscarriage, lamenting, “’cause I wasn’t present, your body wouldn’t accept it.” He then imagines what the consequences could have been: losing the love of his life, either by being completely alone or remaining married by sleeping with their backs turned, and being unable to look at his children.

Rumor Report | Jay Z announces new album ‘4:44’

Along with apologizing for disrespecting Beyonce herself, Jay also takes accountability for how he has treated other women he dated before her. “I apologize to all the women whom I toyed with your emotions because I was emotionless,” he rhymes. “I apologize ’cause at your best, you are love.”

The key to this new, enlightened Jay-Z? The birth of his children. “Took for my child to be born to see through a woman’s eyes,” he raps. “Took for these natural twins to believe in miracles.”

In audio with iHeartRadio, Jay-Z said that he woke up and wrote the song at 4:44 in the morning. Jay-Z and Beyoncé fans know the number four means a lot: Jay was born on December 4, Beyonce was born on September 4, they have matching “IV” tattoos, and Blue Ivy’s name has the roman numeral four (IV = Ivy).

Jay-Z’s 4:44 is his most thoughtful album yet, and there’s a lot to unpack. Stay tuned for more coverage.