If anyone deserves music video of the year, it’s Jay-Z.
His ‘4:44’ album and subsequent videos are a stunning look at race, family and society in 2017, and this new video is no exception.
‘Moonlight’ takes popular TV series ‘Friends’ and the episode ‘The One Where No-One Is Ready’, and goes shot-for-shot with an all-black cast headed up by Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), Atlanta’s Lakeith Stanfield, comedian Jerrod Carmichael, Insecure creator Issa Rae, Girls Trip star Tiffany Haddish and Tessa Thompson, with Hannibal Buress making a guest appearance as himself also.
It’s an extremely thought-provoking and subtle look at race within Hollywood, more so then i’ve seen in any other Hip-Hop video, with commentary on this year’s Oscar Best Picture mix-up (“We stuck in La La Land, even when we win, we lose”) and ‘Friends’ lack of black characters as well as lyrically touching on his own life; his falling out with Kanye, those ‘Becky” rumours, and his elevator incident with Solange in 2014.
It’s a scathing shot at the industry as only Jay can pull off and is a powerful note that whenever someone flippantly remarks that all hip-hop videos contain are ‘guns, money and strippers’, point them towards this video and have them try and dissect the meaning.
Brilliant stuff Jigga Man.
Donuts 