covert structural racism is what is doing Jaybo as he walks through closed doors. The same ocean that “drowned his family” now carries his yacht while he pours champaign to his victories breaking through the glass ceilings i.e. Jay Z explains that the Oceans song was about “duality” recognising his ancestry coming from slavery, and on a more personal level him coming from the streets, to being a major force in the business world. Line 2: I crash through glass ceilings, I break through closed doors This scene alludes to his 2011 song ‘Oceans’ Ft where his final verse ends with The Black slaves in the vessel bop their heads while their wide eyes glare at each other, seemingly hypnotised, this represents the delusion of Black society who haven’t lost their chains of mental enslavement, Jaybo fortunately isn’t in chains or under the delusion, as he heads through the door to the front of the ship he is saluted by all white sailors under his control – this is Jay Z boastfully saying he isn’t the typical nigga. It shows Jaybo walking from what seems to be the dark bowel of a slave ship turns out to be beautiful yacht named Oceans(this name is important). This part of the video is probably the most disturbing yet one of the most powerful scenes. Suggesting that he survived/kept his field nigga-ness even through the industry. We finally see one of Klan members unmasked and it turns out to be our conscious homie Jaybo. This could be referencing how the music industry corrupts black music and perception of Hip Hop. On the other side of the coin, seconds later a different set of cotton goes into a mill one way and comes out as manufactured Klan members. On top of the bags of cotton sits a young girl, probably representing Blu Ivy, this adds to what Jay Z says about intergenerational wealth throughout his album and in the final verse ‘I cant wait to give this shit to my children’, her being so high up represents her hugely benefiting from the labour of her parents, something which couldn’t have happened in the antebellum South.
This image of Jaybo driving with a high stack of cotton symbolises the repossession of Black labour, in the music industry where JAY Z has been the face of ‘do it yourself and reap the rewards’, firstly with his Rocafella Label now with Tidal. The Bags of cotton in this clip symbolises the fruits of Black labour during slavery, this becomes an extended metaphor for the Hip Hop industry and American society in general, where Black Artist and Black people have historically been used and conned out of their masters and their belongings, respectively, by White establishments. Jaybo with his Daughter and his Cotton sceneĬotton was the economic foundation of many American states and the wealth of the US on a whole up until the 30’s, the commercial value of cotton prolonged the enslavement of Blacks who couldn’t own or benefit from what they produced. “On the contrary, we know that Jay-Z is someone who has used his celebrity in the past to speak out responsibly and forcefully against the evils of racism and anti-Semitism,” the ADL said.The video is inspired by early American racist cartoons, these images were once used to degrade Black people and their physical features using big red lips and lazy-sluggish poor characters to reinforce stereotypes.This imagery is flipped on it’s head, as Jaybo (the caricature which plays Jay Z) defies stereotype with his intelligence he manages to climb the steps of wealth.
“We do not believe it was Jay-Z’s intent to promote anti-Semitism,” the organization added.Īlso Read: Eric Benet Responds to Jay-Z Album Diss: 'Thanks for the Shoutout' Yet, such notions have lingered in society for decades, and we are concerned that this lyric could feed into preconceived notions about Jews and alleged Jewish ‘control’ of the banks and finance.”ĭespite the concern over the lyrics, the ADL stopped short of branding Jay-Z an anti-Semite. “The idea that Jews ‘own all the property’ in this country and have used credit to financially get ahead are odious and false. “The lyric does seem to play into deep-seated anti-Semitic stereotypes about Jews and money,” the ADL said. In the song, Jay-Z raps, “You wanna know what’s more important than throwin’ away money at a strip club? Credit / You ever wonder why Jewish people own all the property in America? This how they did it.”Īlso Read: 50 Cent Takes a 9-Iron to JAY-Z's '4:44': 'Golf Course Music' (Video) The ADL issued a statement calling out Jay-Z’s lyrics for the song “The Story of O.J.,” suggesting that the rapper is trading in anti-Semitic stereotypes. Jay-Z’s new album “4:44” might have enjoyed massive sales since its release last week, but the music icon hasn’t exactly earned raves from the Anti-Defamation League.
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