Jay-Z premiered Picasso Baby: A Performance Art Film tonight (August 2) on HBO.
“Concerts are pretty much performance art,” Jay-Z said at the start of the film. “The venues change. Just by nature of the venues, the performance changes. If you’re in a smaller venue, it’s a bit more intimate so you get to feel the energy of the people…In a concert, especially in a large concert, all that energy comes to you. What do you do with that energy? So, today, it’s kind of an exchange. You have somewhere to drop it back off.”
Jay-Z also talked about the relationship between art and Hip Hop.
“When art started becoming part of the galleries, it became a separation between culture and even in Hip Hop, people were almost like, ‘Art is too bourgeois,'” Jay-Z said. “We are artists. We’re alike. We’re cousins. That’s where it’s really exciting for me, bringing the worlds back together.”
Jay-Z also talked about his views on Rap.
“Rap is pretty much thinking out loud,” he said in the film. “You’re talking and putting your fears and your vulnerabilities, you’re putting your bravado and your insecurities all on music and it’s there for the world to see. You’re really giving a glimpse of who you are.”
Hip Hop pioneer Fab Five Freddy, rapper Wale, actress Taraji P. Henson, record executive Lyor Cohen and filmmaker Judd Apatow were among those involved in the performance film, which can be seen in its entirety below via Life+Times.
Picasso Baby’s director Mark Romanek spoke about the idea behind the film, as reported earlier today.
“The idea of performance art came to mind,” Romanek said. “I was aware of Marina Abramovic’s Artist is Present, even though I was in London shooting ‘Never Let Me Go’ and didn’t get to go. And the idea that Jay-Z regularly performs to 60,000 people at a time, I thought, ‘What about performing at one person at a time?’ He absolutely loved it. He interrupted me and said, ‘Hold on! I’ve got chills. That idea is perfect.’ He thinks, like me, that the music video has had its era. I also wanted to make sure we had Marina’s blessing. So she attended the event and took part in the event. She couldn’t have been more happy or enthusiastic about us using her concept and pushing it forward.”
Wale recently spoke on the performance. “It shows the possibilities of Hip Hop,” Wale told Vogue. “I’m in this type of profession that can bring all kinds of people out. It’s almost as strong as politics and powerful as religion.
Pictures from the event can be seen below, via Vogue.
RELATED: Jay-Z’s “Picasso Baby” Director Calls It The Opposite Of “Street-Rapper Cliche”
Jay Z gives back to his fellow rich snobs while Action Bronson performs for the regular people.
what about ja rule tho? he performs for everybody.
AB is still wet behind the ears… Jay will be in the Rock Hall of Fame in 7 years. Let’s hope AB has 7 more weeks in this market.
http://unbiasedwriter.com/music/jay-z-picasso-baby-a-performance-art-film-full-video/
Jay Z is doing a great job here. I think dude means well. People are going to clown him but this is dope.
YES ,YES ,YES !!!!
AWESOME !!!! NIRVANA !!!
The world is evolving & revolving on so many many levels in so many ways in so many many places, in every corner in every culture throughout every race in very place of our world & universe . This is such special time of so much transformation!
BRAVO TO HUMANKIND !
Every man can be an artist, an artist of change……MAKE IT HAPPEN , IT IS OUR DESTINY, OUR TIME & OUR CHANCE RIGHT NOW! MAKE IT HAPPEN, BE YOUR OWN ARTIST OF CHANGE. MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE !
If you’re black you probably be half white because blacks on here to think like you just said all they do is make hating comments and display their foolishness. Good saying bro.
Very well said brov…
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people need an explanation as to how hip-hop “is like” art? so he doesn’t think Hip-Hop IS art?
guess that’s why all of Jay’s shit is fucking garbage since he dropped the ART and started making formulaic radio BULLSHIT. fucking garbage ass overrated rapper.
This isn’t an explanation, it’s a TRANSLATION of a song into performance art, which is what a concert basically is. He’s changing the context of the song, try to keep up. I would agree that he needs to spend more time working on his rhymes though. His new stuff is so-so.
This is not a good look. TBH
This is just embarrassing. Jay-Z and Marina Abramovic, two artists who once made great work, but have recently completely lost their judgement.
no.
Jay-z sounded like an idiot on Real Time.
I fukc with the album pretty hard but it’s when niggas do this WACK ASS SHIT that ruins it. Like, all my man HOV had to do was go on a world tour, make this album even greater, and leave it at that. Instead this nigga filled the room with people who DON’T EVEN LISTEN TO THEM and rapped to them….this was a wack ass idea HOV need to go to YEEZUS for your promo.
that album came out and now people want real music
thanks kanye, ur album show what hip hop aint
You’re ignorant. Just because most of the people are caucasian doesn’t meant they don’t listen to Jay-Z. You also don’t understand the point of this whole concept. Jay-Z is doing something different. He’s still gonna do a world tour.
boycott fake mcs
This was a great idea. Stop hating cause its not what you’re used of seeing.
i listen to hip hop not this bullshit
Embarrassing … middle aged white men ? soccer moms ? really ..
Interesting concept. Still on the fence about it. Love the song. All y’all haters can’t stand someone evolving. All that trap shit is cool to hear when it started, but it’s been run into the ground. Jay is the most successful hip hop artist ever. He didn’t sell out. He made his own path. That’s the problem with you haters. You can’t see past your own situation and strive to be better. Staying in the trap and slanging dope puts food on the table but only lasts so long. Jay saw past that. Open your eyes people.
This shit is wack!!!
Jay Z = alpha hipster.
royce da 5’9 , and apollo brown need a joint album
rep the D properly
WHen i saw the video, the first thing come in my mind was like wtf all this white ppl (I DONT MEEN ANY DISRESPECT TO WHITE FOX) that seems never listing to rap or hiphop before. BUT WHAT I SEE IS THAT JAY IS DOING THIS SO HE CAN EXPEND AS MUCH AS MORE TO THE OTHER COMUNNTIS SO HE CAN REACH THE BILLIOONNNNNNN BEFORE HE GET OLD. BELIEVE DAT!
learn how to spell before you try to speak intelligently. so sick of ignorant racist people. get over it and enjoy the entertainment.
hahah just that u know English is my third language! u are the sick idiot trying to correct my grammar, you should be so proud correcting some one who speak THREE different language. ABOUT THE SONG ITS MY OPINION, YOU ARE THAT ONE ACCUSING OTHER BEEN RACIST. WHAT U NEED TO DO IS SIT AND SPIN AT UR STEP-DAD DIK.
white people buy the majority of albums, it wasnt just white people there, it was a melting pot of races, genders, and social classes. that is what hip hop is about, bringing people together.
JUST PLAIN AND SIMPLE. FUCK JAYZ AND HIS MUSIC. PEOPLE SHOULD NOT SUPPORT SUCH AN ARTIST. I WONT EVEN DOWNLOAD FOR FREE. FUCK JAY AND KANYE. ITS TIME TO MOVE ON FROM THESE LAMES. I DONT WANNA HEAR PEOPLE RAP ABOUT THEIR FUCKING EGO AND HOW MUCH MONEY THEY GOT! ITS NOT RELEVANT!!!!!
Hip hop is an art-form, a sub-set of art. saying “hip-hop” is like art doesn’t even make sense. dude be tryna sound knowledgeable and just end up embarrassing himself. all this did was expose his ignorant attempts to approximate some misguided idea of what he thinks is some elite endeavor. this usually stems from low self esteem. right now he probably thinks he is bucking the system by fusing something “street” with something “high class”… there is nothing high class about art, you are free to appreciate it or not…he might as well go spit a freestyle on martha stewart’s show
Wow, you’re dumb.
Us true Hip Hop fans can just think about graffiti and laugh at your stupid ass.
to the two jigga cum buckets above that cant read…i’ll say it again hiphop IS an art form, saying it is LIKE art is redundant and ignorant.
bojangles shit
IT WAS WACK, WORTHLESS AND NO DIFFERENT THAN THE YOUTUBE CLIPS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY RELEASED.
what you want ..niggaz and bitches twerking????gtfoh
Always more twrking, never less
this is awesome! really different
why is every comment on here just filled with hate
welcome to the internet bro, why does the news only focus on negative stories?
great performance by a legend of the art form known as hip-hop. really nice to see rap being so respected.
LOVE THE CONCEPT ..NICE JOINT HOV…THESE LIL DUMB FUCKS WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND….
I fell asleep watching this garbage.. song sux, performance six
The Album and this video is fire…..all the haters on here keep hating..thats why he still sell out arenas in 20 mins at age 43 with 20 years in the game…name another rapper that can do that…please..im wating
wu tang clan
Dr. Dre!
Check mate you stupid ass
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Dre IS NOT selling out stadiums around the world like Jay. Dre can’t go to Qatar and sell out a stadium lol…Jay does that.
This is so terrible
this was gross
THIS VIDEO SUCKS
BUT ITS A DOPE SONG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45D55h0DGNo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or6aXEHG1xs
I’m The Street and I don’t fuck with Gay-Z.
Who the fuck cares about the streets? They’re not buying albums.
The streets call him Jay and the streets still buy albums nerds.
Hella Dope, best part of the vid was getting names of the other artists and looking up their works. although i dont fuck with jay like i used, this was good work. Truly some Grown Man Shit.
Agreed
i’m sorry but this was really fucking weird
OMAR!! the wire ! all dayy
only 3 black people in that whole room
either you didn’t watch the video or you can’t count
Incorrect
i only looked at the pictures above where he surrounded by hipsters
Money doesn’t buy you taste or artistic ability. That was a weak attempt. Kanye West you are not sir. Modern day Picasso most definitely you are not. Kudos for trying i guess.. For the record i fucked with the album, but quit tryina tread in Yeezys footstep to get that ‘artist’/’genius’ label. It aint you. You are a gifted talented rapper/lyricist. Done.