he just rushed to put out an album off of the hype that other rappers were getting, Kanye, Wale, J.Cole and jay z tried to slide some sub par material in the mix in order to ride the wave. Cole and Jay Z knew that Kanye put out an album that most listeners weren't going to like, but the critics love it.
Plus Jay Z and his wife have been getting shytted on the whole year basically. It could be that he's starting to realize that he doesn't have to tap dance for the powers that be anymore and that he has enough money to call his own shots. I am not a fan of all of his music, but I respect some of the moves he makes on the business side of things.