In celebration of JAY-Z‘s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, some of Hov’s inner circle paid tribute to the hip-hop mogul in a video titled, The Times and Life of Shawn Carter.
Beyoncé begins the video reciting one of his most iconic lyrics as Common comes in to finish the bar. The video features, what appears to be a never-ending list of collaborators who have worked with JAY-Z across multiple industries including music and entertainment. Creatives including Rihanna, Diddy, DJ Khaled, Alicia Keys, Chris Martin, Kevin Hart, Lenny Kravit, Aziz Ansari, Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, Pharrell, Rick Ross and LeBron James appear in the video in honour of the Brooklyn native by reciting some of their favourite JAY-Z lyrics. The video ends with Hov’s eldest daughter Blue Ivy quoting lyrics from “Ride or Die,” specifically, “Congrats S. Carter, ghostwriter, you paid the right price so we just made your hits tighter,” just to round out the celebrations. Last month, Barack Obama gave a recorded speech on the night of his induction, speaking to JAY-Z’s influence,
“I’ve turned to JAY-Z’s words at different points in my life, whether I was brushing dirt off my shoulder on the campaign trail, or sampling his lyrics on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the 50th anniversary of the Selma march to Montgomery.
“Today, Jay-Z is one of the most renowned artists in history and an embodiment of the American dream, a dream he has helped make real for other young people like him.”
Take a look at the video, produced by Questlove, above.
In other music news, Wale announced his Under A Blue Moon US Tour.
