Beyonce and Jay-Z are without doubt the power couple of the music world. And the powers of the duo have only been strengthened by the release of their surprise collaboration album Everything Is Love. It is the Carters’ debut joint album, and one that has been years in the making.
The arrival of the full-length album was announced on stage on Saturday, at their On The Run II tour at the London Stadium in the UK. Screens simply projected the message “album out now”.
Rumours of the nine-track album have been around since before Beyonce’s Lemonade and Jay-Z’s 4:44 were released. Jay-Z told the New York Times in November 2017 that a joint project was in the works. “We were using our art almost like a therapy session,” he said. “And we started making music together.”
The release of the album, which premiered on Tidal, a streaming service co-owned by Jay-Z, was accompanied by a stunning music video (above) for Apeshit, which was shot entirely at the Louvre in Paris and shows the duo standing in front of the Mona Lisa.
The video, directed by Ricky Saiz, is full of provocative imagery and symbolism as it intersperses shots of some of the museum’s most famous artworks with shots of Queen B and Jay-Z.
An earnest – and brilliant – twitter user made a comprehensive list of all the artworks featured in the video, complete with the connotations, in the Twitter thread below.
Another Twitter user, who studied art history, broke down all the powerful symbolism and imagery from the video in the brilliant Twitter thread below.
The album cover (below), as well appears to be inspired by photographer Deana Lawson whose works, writes Vulture, capture black intimacy and domesticity, a theme that is echoed throughout the video.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!