JAY-Z has used the music video for track Moonlight to address the "cultural conversation" on diversity in the entertainment business.
The rapper recently unveiled the accompanying project to his new track from his album 4:44, available to watch in full on his music streaming platform Tidal.
It features screen stars Issa Rae, Girls Trip's Tiffany Haddish, Tessa Thompson, Get Out star Lakeith Stanfield, Lil Rel Howery and Jerrod Carmichael acting out the famous opening credits from hit sit-com Friends, which many believe was inspired by Queen Latifah's hit '90s show Living Single. And Thor: Ragnarok actress Tessa has explained in a behind the scenes video for Tidal that there's a deeper meaning to the music video.
"We wanted to have a conversation about diversity inclusion, which is something that is really ripe in the cultural conversation at this moment and I thought to do it in an artful way, to be able to do it with such talented cohorts and in a way that it's creative and open to interpretation could be so interesting," she says in the clip.
"All of these classic television shows, these white television shows, where there’s virtually no people of colour represented and redoing all of the cast as people of colour, I think it’s really cool."
Jay also appears in the teaser released on Twitter, explaining the meaning behind lyrics, "We stuck in La La Land/ Even when we win, we gon’ lose". He was referring to the moment at this year's (17) Oscars when Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway incorrectly announced the Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone-starring movie as the winner of the best picture award, when it was actually Barry Jenkins' drama Moonlight which won.
“It’s like a subtle nod to La La Land winning the Oscar, and then having to give it to Moonlight. It’s really a commentary on the culture and where we’re going," Jay explained. "This is a theme with the album; we winning big, it looks like we’re winning, but we’re not really winning. Even when we win we gonna lose."
