Jay Z’s ‘Picasso Baby’ Music Video Is A ‘Performance Art Film’ With Judd Apatow, Jim Jarmusch

One of the consequences of living in this hyphen-less world of ours is that music videos are no longer music videos — they’re performance art films, in which rappers “borrow” ideas from the likes of the National and Marina Abramovic and, in Jack White’s mind probably, Jack White. Last month, Jay-Z performed “Picasso Baby,” one of the best tracks from Magna Carta Holy Grail, for six straight hours at the Pace Gallery in New York.

The entire performance was filmed and released as an 11-minute music video, er, performance art film, with special appearances from the likes of Judd Apatow, Jim Jarmusch, Alan Cumming, Rosie Perez, George Condo, Marina Abramovic, and other Manhattan-based artists who likely call Lena Dunham “dahling.” If you can stomach farted-out lines like “cross section of the New York art and cultural world,” then you’ll love it.

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