Beyonce and JAY-Z stirred a hornet’s nest of controversy on Saturday when they dropped a new album supported by a music video filmed in the revered Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
The American power couple — restyled as “The Carters” — released their new album, Everything is Love, exclusively on JAY-Z’s Tidal music app.
Everything is Love is clearly a last-ditch effort to rescue their struggling On the Run 2 tour from imminent cancellation.
Among the criticisms that sank Bey and JAY’s OTR II world tour was the fact that they did not release new music to support such an ambitious stadium tour.
In desperation, Beyonce and JAY-Z tapped prominent Atlanta rap group Migos to craft their new sound and make the 2 old heads palatable to the younger generation of hip-hop fans.
Migos rapper Quavo provides vocal sound effects on “Apesh*t”.
The top-secret music video for the album’s first single “Apesh*t” was filmed 2 weeks ago — while Beyonce’s mom, Tina Lawson, and daughter Blue Ivy, distracted the paparazzi inside another old Paris relic.
“Apesh*t” features Beyonce struggling to stay relevant in a hip-hop dominated culture as she and her voluptuous dancers prance and preen around the Louvre’s treasures, such as Leonardo da Vinci‘s Mona Lisa who has her own room at the Louvre.
Beyonce and JAY-Z’s pushy “music as art” video concept did not go over well with hip-hop fans or classical art lovers.
“Anyone get creepy vibes from this??” wrote a YouTuber with the username “Lauren Hill“.
One YouTuber raged: “At least the Louvre got paid big-ass money that can use for the sake of REAL art and not this self-serving, egotistical music video where priceless pieces are being used as a nice décor for her stupid dance moves.”
“I love Bey with all my heart, but as an European and Italian it doesn’t feel very comfortable to see historic, classical art getting destroyed by ghetto hip hop shit,” another viewer wrote.
Diana N. wrote: “I love my Queen Bey, but she needs to ditch this uncivilized ghetto trash. I understand why people are mad. DaVinci probably vomits in his grave right now. This is pure crap.?”
Other YT users noted Beyonce wore expensive designer clothes that contrasted wildly against a backdrop of classical art featuring peasants in tattered rags.
Naomi B. writes: “Yep I agreee! whilst wearing Burberry! Where are the black designers and artists! I don’t dislike them but it’s kind of a contradiction.”
The Carters – APESH*T, ft. Migos
SR Rated 2/5 roses
