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Bey and Jay Release Joint Album: Planned Blog Post Canceled!

I was going to blog about something totally different this afternoon, but you know how Beyonce releasing an album has a habit of throwing all of my plans in disarray. [See review of Beyonce projects here] and [here] She and her husband Shawn”Jay Z” Carter released a 9-track album called “Everything Is Love” smack dab in the middle of their On the Run II tour. [This is right after the Beychella performance which was right after Jay’s album “4:44” which was right after Bey’s “Lemonade”]

These two don’t want us to keep our coins in our own pockets this summer. Anyway, I digress…

Dee Locket of Vulture did an excellent job summing it up for me so I’ll syndicate her opening paragraph to an excellent review you can read in its entirety HERE:

Your weekend plans: Canceled. Yeezy season: Dismissed. Drake: Who? Beyoncé and Jay-Z have pulled a Beyoncé and Jay-Z and surprise-dropped yet another album — but this time, as a couple. Their first-ever joint album Everything Is Love — the one that’s been percolating since even before Lemonade and 4:44 — was released on Saturday evening at the end of the duo’s London show on their On the Run Tour II with one casual parting announcement: “Album Out Now.” Out! Now! The nine-song album, complete with one visual component and a bonus track, is streaming in full on Tidal as we speak. With their trilogy recounting marital strife to remarried bliss now complete, what do we make of this closing chapter? From the shots at Trump, the NFL, Spotify, the Grammys, and Kanye West, to the Blue Ivy cameo, to filming a music video in the Louvre, here’s everything you need to know about the conversation the Carters have caused now.

Phew! What an intro. Well, today is Father’s Day and before heading out to celebrate, while the men are busy watching World Cup games, I hopped on to pen a few thoughts.

First, I don’t have Tidal, where the album exists exclusively. Yes, they are still trying to make it happen, and even have gone as far as declare war on Spotify. No really, they mention the streaming competitor in one of the songs.  My subscription expired so my options are to re-up it to listen to the complete set or wait until it slowly releases on other platforms. le sigh.

I hear it’s getting mixed, but mainly good reviews. Because I have nothing to add substantively, I’ll share that I loved the only released-to-the-public video out: “Apeshit”.  Imagine! They rented out The Louvre in Paris, France for the video shoot! Wow!

 

The video for the song is a cinematic and visual treat. I love art. All art. Musical, visual, performing but especially art of yesteryear and religious art so it was a bonus to get to see flashes of famous pieces in the video.

And it is also a bit political. In the middle, there is an overt swipe at the anti-Take A Knee movement.

There is a lot to digest and there have already been publised a bevy or reviews. One thing I can offer that may not have been shared by others about “Apesh*t”  is some of  the similarities to other visual stimuli in other pieces.

Screeeeech!! Hold up, before I go there, I was also taken by the fact the song is Trap and besides both dropping some serious bars and Jay Z delivering an exceptionally good performance, he later gets side-graded (*is that a word?*) in my opinion to be to the sound effects emoting guy to Beyonce’s shine when it’s her turn to spit verses.

You know, like the guy Takeoff in the group Migos? ha!

Anyway, back to the visual similarities I spotted…

First, her sister Solange is famous for her love of dance and art combined. Her wedding reception took place at the New Orleans Museum of Art, and earlier this year, she unveiled a performance piece at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, and performed her title song to her first Grammy-winning album “Cranes In the Sky” at the Guggenheim in New York City.

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"An ode to" 2017

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And so her big sister went bigger.

The second similarity. The dancers in all brown reminded me of the all Brown clothing the dancers in Remy Ma (featuring Chris Brown) video “Melanin Magic.”

And finally, the album cover is of a woman braiding a man’s hair. It was reminiscent of Rihanna shaving dancer Mette Towley‘s  hair in the intro to N.E.R.D.’s song Lemon.

Art begets Art. There is nothing truly original anymore and everyone’s interpret, pay homage to and weave in aspects of previously done works.

What else did I spot?

I love that there is a shot in the video that is an ode to us Virgos! Beyonce is one too. I got this long lingering shot…

More visuals:

Beautiful! Bravo!

 

JJ

NEW: Jay Z Drops Visually-Stimulating Celeb-Studded Futuristic Video for ‘Family Feud’ (PHOTOS and VIDEO)

If you follow this blog, you know I am a die-hard Beyonce, also a Jay and Bey fan and a fangirl of sci-fi and action movies so, I was quite geeked to immediately open up and peep the brand new video for Jay Z‘s song “Family Feud” off of his 444 album which melds all of my faves into one fantastical, visually-stimulating treat.

And I must say, the cinematography is on point….

All the Yeses to the Ava DuVernay-directed futuristic video which gives me “Black Panther” vibes, because it is set the year 2444 in a universe where Power‘s Omari Hardwick is the co-President of the Free World and is the direct descendant of the matriarch of a fantastical diverse group of women, dubbed the Fore-mothers, who re-configured the US Constitution in the year 2050 along with a pact called the “Confessional Papers”, per the prose in the video.

ETA: the director explained the video:

Westworld’s Irene Bedard plays a co-President

A Native American woman is the co-President played by Westworld’s Irene Bedard.

Yes to This is Us star Susan Kelechi Watson playing an adult Blue Ivy Carter who quotes her dad during that meeting saying “ Nobody wins when the family feuds,” a line from the song.

The Mindy Project’s Mindy Kaling heads the meeting

Yes to the union of leaders led by a character played  by a then-pregnant Mindy Kaling and featuring council members portrayed by ….

Claws‘ Neicy Nash, Angie Tribeca and Parks & Recreation‘s Rashida Jones, Room‘s Brie Larson, Marvel’s Luke Cage and The Defenders‘ star Rosario Dawson, trans advocate, journalist and and social commentator  Janet Mock, who are among the women who are tasked to lead the effort to set the world straight — as it should be because you know, given this “Me Too” era in the nation (and world), it really will take a small army of Women to do the job.

Fresh Off the Boat‘s Constance Wu

The Office’s Rashida Jones and Rosario Dawson, who stars in Marvel’s The Defenders, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage

Yes to the fictional president’s feuding for power family played by a Thandie Newton outfitted in a LeeLo from The Fifth Element-like bandage onesie  who fights with her brother played by Creed and Black Panther’s Michael B. Jordan .

Creed and Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan

Thandie Newton wearing the heck out of a bandage outfit reminiscent of LeeLo from ‘The Fifth Element’

Jessica Chastain cameos

David Oyelowo

Yes to the president’s ancestors saving the world from a time when “Make Us Great” meant make us fear one another!

America Ferrera is a warrior

Yes to Beyonce sitting on her throne on the other side of a Catholic confessional, metaphorically and literally, waiting to assign penance to Jay for reportedly cheating on her, as is referenced in the song.

Beyonce sits inside a Catholic confessional

Oh and yes to Blue making a cameo too!

Watch it today FREE using the FREE Tidal Holiday 12-day streaming special here: https://listen.tidal.com/

PREVIEW IT HERE!

 

From People:

All the celebrities who made cameos shared behind-the-scenes photos from filming once the video was released exclusively on Tidal.

This is far from JAY-Z’s first video featuring some Hollywood heavyweights.

He previously dropped the Friends-inspired clip for “Moonlight” with Tessa Thompson, Tiffany Haddish, Jerrod Carmichael and Issa Rae as well as the Lupita Nyong’o-starring “MaNyfaCedGod” and “Adnis” starring Mahershala Ali.

JAY-Z’s 18th studio album, 4:44, recently received eight Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year and Best Rap Album.

 

 

Yes to these other screen grabs of the close to 8 minute music video:

Batman138 Bro138 Dolar138 Gas138 Gudang138 Hoki99 Ligaciputra Panen77 Zeus138 Kilat77 Planet88 Gaspol168 Sikat88 Rupiah138 Garuda138 Gacor77 Roma77 Sensa138 Panen138 Slot138 Gaco88 Elanggame Candy99 Cair77 Max7 Best188 Space77 Sky77 Luxury777 Maxwin138 Bosswin168 Cocol88 Slot5000 Babe138 Luxury138 Jet77 Bonanza138 Bos88 Aquaslot Taktik88 Lord88 Indobet Slot69 Paus138 Tiktok88 Panengg Bingo4d Stars77 77dragon Warung168 Receh88 Online138 Tambang88 Asia77 Klik4d Bdslot88 Gajah138 Bigwin138 Markas138 Yuk69 Emas168 Key4d Harta138  Gopek178 Imbaslot Imbajp Deluna4d Luxury333 Pentaslot Luxury111 Cair77 Gboslot Pandora188 Olxtoto Slotvip Eslot Kuy138 Imbagacor Bimabet