Jay Z creates rap art with 6-hour lip-synching session

Stop what you're doing immediately and have a look of this video of Jay Z turning rap into an art form.

Jay Z

by Closer staff |
Published on

The musician, who is married to Beyonce, took to the New York Pace Gallery last month for a marathon six-hour session of lip-syncing to Picasso Baby, a track from his recently released Magna Carta Holy Grail album.

Jay invited a whole load of creative types to witness his feat and featured them in the resulting video.

"Rap is pretty much thinking out loud, you're putting out all your fears and vulnerabilities … you put your bravado and your insecurities all on music. And it's there for you all to see,” he commented in the footage.

"You're really giving them a glimpse into who you are."

Jay explained that he wanted to make the short film to draw attention to the way art galleries place art above mass culture and to highlight how fans of hip-hop choose not to consume fine art because they consider it "too bourgeois".

Despite its high-brow message, the film has plenty of comedic moments, including Jay getting flustered by art dealer Sandra Gering and losing his flow, being involved in a staring competition with artist Marina Abramovic and placing his gold chain around the neck of a small boy.

There are a few famous faces in the crowd, including actors Alan Cumming and Rosie Perez, rapper Wale and fashion designer Cynthia Rowley.

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