<P> "Song Cry" is a song by American rapper Jay - Z and produced by Just Blaze . It was the fourth and final single from his sixth studio album The Blueprint and also appears on the 2001 live album Jay - Z: Unplugged . </P> <P> "Song Cry" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance but lost to "Hot in Herre" by Nelly . </P> <P> In an interview with Bill Maher, Jay - Z stated that this song was actually inspired by three different relationships he had in the past, and he wrote about his different experiences all together in different verses . </P> <P> The song is a slow and quiet melodic rap ballad in which Jay - Z laments the break - up of an earlier relationship due to his own neglect and infidelity . Admitting that he is too prideful to publicly display his emotions ("I can't see' em coming down my eyes"), Jay - Z forces the song to "cry" instead . This allows Jay - Z to mourn the break - up free of any damage to his masculine image as a street hustler . This furthers the notion that emotional vulnerability is a sign of weakness, especially within the Black community, as Black men in particular suppress vulnerability "in order to survive ." </P>

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