But when he does finally arrive onscreen, she balances his bravado and reverts to a classically feminine appearance, wearing a sensual white dress.īeyonce holds hands with dancers in front of Jacques-Louis David’s painting of Napoleon’s coronation in the “Apeshit” video. In the music video for Beyoncé’s 2006 song “Upgrade U,” she dresses up as Jay-Z, lip syncing parts of his verse (while he’s off-camera) with an exhilarating swagger. She pushes back against expectations of ladylike behavior throughout the record, talking more than usual about smoking, and repeating Notorious B.I.G.’s classic hip-hop lyric, “If you don’t know, now you know, nigga.” In the “Apeshit” video, Beyoncé sits on the floor in an expensive dress demanding “Put some respect on my check” later, posing as if for a royal portrait, she raps “Get off my dick,” taking on an assertive role because-as she says on the song “Boss”-there “ain’t nothing to it.” This style of hers isn’t totally new, but Jay-Z had been noticeably absent from some of her most memorable power-grab moments, like her fan-favorite line about Red Lobster on “Formation” or any of the more angry tracks on Lemonade. On “Black Effect” he says, “I like purple and purple rain … These people tryna get me out the paint cus I cook collard greens and yams better than your aunt.”įor all the album’s focus on a softer masculinity, much of Everything Is Love is also driven by Beyoncé casting aside feminine stereotypes. In Jay-Z’s 2003 “Public Service Announcement,” for instance, he lists his many achievements, including “Got the hottest chick in the game wearing my chain.” And the Jay-Z of today seems to have found a way to gloat about his skills in realms typically associated with women. At this stage in their relationship it’s hard to imagine the couple reducing Beyoncé’s sexuality to an ornamental prop as they have in the past. Everything Is Love is sprinkled with lyrics that revel in gentleness, most notably on the song “Summer” when Jay-Z says, “We hugged, made love, on the seats … We watched the sky turn peach … She taste like Corona Light-sweet.” Beyoncé adds that they should “make plans to be in each other’s arms.” These scenes mark a dramatic departure from the more aggressive sexual dynamic of earlier music videos like “ Déjà Vu” from Beyoncé’s B’Day in 2006, or “ Partition” from her self-titled 2013 album. Similar moments of mutual tenderness show up throughout the Carters’ work, suggesting a personal resonance for the duo. When the two are kissing and caressing one another, they’re at eye level neither is the more dominant. Later in “Apeshit,” a painting of a crying woman clinging from below to a man in anguish (the two trapped in “hell” for adultery) is followed by a contemporary scene of a black man leaning his head peacefully on the chest of a woman as she holds him. The tableau, a political statement of its own, highlights the breakdown of order that can occur when women aren’t respected. It depicts a group of women-who were kidnapped and raped by Roman soldiers in the eighth century B.C.E.-throwing themselves between their captors and the men of their home city in an effort to stop the war. Perhaps the most striking work showing the toll of male violence is The Intervention of the Sabine Women by Jacques-Louis David.
The video subtly contrasts paintings of suffering in male-controlled societies, such as ancient Rome, with peaceful, present-day scenes of couples who are presumably equals. In “Apeshit,” classical art helps define the Carters’ vision of how men and women relate to each other. At times, the dancers’ formation calls to mind a spine. At another point in the video, female dancers lying on the stairs beneath the duo resemble a foundation, lifting up the Carters’ “empire” with pulse-like movements. The other main artwork that orients “Apeshit” is a statue of a goddess, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, which appears to symbolize their success-as individuals and as a couple.
The full-body shot calls attention to Beyoncé’s pants and Jay-Z’s elegant attire as the duo re-create the gaze of the woman in the painting. In the now-iconic first glimpse of the couple, the camera glides toward them as they stand in front of the Mona Lisa, each wearing pastel-colored suits with no shirt underneath. Throughout the video, Beyoncé and Jay-Z borrow inspiration from the strength and grace of women.
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