JAY-Z And D’Angelo Join Forces With Jeymes Samuel On New Song, “I Want You Forever”

JAY-Z and D’Angelo have joined forces with Jeymes Samuel on “I Want You Forever,” the lead single from the soundtrack of Samuel’s new film The Book of Clarence. Composed by Samuel, the track finds D’Angelo delivering sultry vocals in nuance with Hov turning in a brief, yet effective stanza midway through the proceedings.

“All I wanna say is that I love you so much/ I don’t wanna be without you/ I want you forever,” D’Angelo croons, his raspy vocals cascading across Samuel’s plush instrumentation. While the mercurial songbird plays the front on this occasion, reinforcement is provided on the part of JAY-Z, who unleashes his first rap verse in more than a year’s time.

Rhyming “Life don’t taste the same without you/Tears in my champagne ’bout you/ Quit playin’ girl, you know I’m crazy ’bout you,” the icon professes one’s adoration for a romantic companion and the emotions susceptible to border onto obsession. Capped off by a grand musical tapestry, “I Want You Forever” runs over nine and a half minutes in length, with Samuel previously been describing the record as :absolute soulful, biblical bliss.

“I Want You Forever” marks both D’Angelo and JAY-Z’s first musical release following their respective hiatuses. D’Angelo last appeared on a song in 2019, when he dropped his single “Unshaken,” which was written and recorded for the original soundtrack to the video game Red Dead Redemption 2. His last studio album, Black Messiah, which won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, was released in 2014.

JAY-Z last appeared in 2022 on DJ Khaled’s epic posse cut “God Did,” which also featured Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, and Friday and earned three Grammy nominations. His last solo album, 4:44, dropped in 2017, but he has since worked with Jay Electronica on the collaborative album A Written Testimony back in 2020.

Prior to the song’s release, Samuel—who previously worked with JAY-Z on the 2021 Netflix film The Harder They Fall—spoke on Hov’s relentless work ethic and boundless creativity. “This guy wakes up at, like, five in the morning and he’s creating from the start,” the British export told Level. “If he calls me and he’s on the treadmill, I’m gonna get new bars. That guy’s running and composing literally the illest rhymes you’ve ever heard.”

The Book of Clarence, which stars award-winning actor Lakeith Stanfield in the leading role, hits theaters today (Jan. 12). Listen to Jeymes Samuel, D’Angelo and JAY-Z’s “I Want You Forever” below.

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