Yes.

Yes, this is about Jay Z.

Due to the fact that it’s been a while since I’ve tried to put pen to paper, especially in an outlet where there’s a high-ish likelihood that someone will actually read my words, I’ve decided to set the stage of the semester with my favorite message from the music video (oh yeah, if you’re reading and still have no idea of what I’m talking about please go watch Jay-Z’s “Family Feud” via your favorite streaming service. Seriously, pause here and come back in seven minutes and fifty-nine seconds.)

Welcome back. Here’s that quote I promised, “Some people have their liberties and some people don’t. America is a family and the whole family should be free.” Nobody wins when the family feuds.

For the very first time in my life, Beyonce wasn’t my favorite part of a music video (shocking, I know). With a star-studded cast including Mindy Kaling (The Office, The Mindy Project), Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight), Michael B. Jordan (The Wire, Creed), America Ferrera (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Superstore), and so many more, Jay Z and Director, Ava Duvernay brought us a beautiful masterpiece…or a music video….um, possibly considered a short film? I’m not exactly sure what the genre falls under. The only thing that matters is that it was fantastic and exactly what I needed to jumpstart my 2018.

Showcasing a futuristic political realm spanning multiple decades, the video begins in 2444, working backward to 2050. At first watch, the plot is a little bit confusing, but if paid attention to and analyzed correctly, each scene comes together to create a powerful message of unity, equality, and justice. You all definitely don’t want to read a dissertation on the themes and symbolism of the video; however, I must highlight two key pieces that uplifted me on a personal level.

After a scene focused on error, hurt, and pain, DuVernay and Jay Z give us an interesting concept in which there are Co-Presidents of the United States occupying the white house. One is a Black man, Omari Hardwick (Being Mary Jane), the other, Irene Bedard (Disney’s Pocahontas), a Native American woman. Not so fun fact: Native American women are among the largest group in the United States to face violent victimization and crimes. My mind cannot comprehend that beautiful rise in power. To see a Native American become the President of a nation that has done nothing but ridicule and destroy a culture…truly powerful imagery that I can only hope becomes reality in the near future.

Perhaps the most memorable part of the video includes Beyonce and Jay-Z’s first born, Blue Ivy Carter as a grown woman (played by Susan Kelechi Watson – This is Us) who becomes the President of what is assumed to be an alternative United States. As President, she surrounds herself with an all-women government (ladies and gentlemen, this is how we make America great again!) and to make matters better, the seats at the table are occupied by a beautiful, intelligent, and diverse group of women from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Deemed the Founding Mothers by the narrator, the table includes Rashida Jones (Parks and Rec), Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat), Rosario Dawson (RENT, Luke Cage), Niecy Nash (Scream Queens), Janet Mock (Transgender rights activist), Mindy Kaling, and Brie Larson (Captain Marvel).

Viewers learn of the founding mother’s mission as they revise, “the Constitution over 444 years ago, at a time, mind you, when some thought making America great meant making us afraid of each other.” The scene surrounds a debate over the second and thirteenth amendment highlighting the alleged civil liberties that all citizens should be given. I don’t know about you, but I interpreted the message as a punch in the gut to current political affairs. You know what I’m talking about. Amazing.

Following the table debate, the short film is complete and makes way for Jay Z and Beyonce to perform the actual song. In the lyrics, Jay Z speaks of the importance of building greater communities while also referencing infidelity and life’s many shortcomings.

I cannot stand to end this post so soon, but I must bid adieu with the wise words of Director Ava Duvernay (I wrongfully failed to mention this in the beginning, but if her name sounded familiar it’s because she’s responsible for SELMA and the upcoming film, A Wrinkle in Time). Here’s what she said about the music video in all of its glory, “I’ll let the final scene just stay where it is. In the film, with that family. Being their brilliant, Black, brave, bold selves. May we all fortify our families. Our communities. Our society. In whatever ways we can.”

Nobody wins when the family feuds.