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Fade To Black
"Narrated by Jay-Z himself, this film is the most candid portrayal of Jay-Z ever."
By Gerald Ward II
Hip-hop culture stands as the most dominant and ubiquitous cultural expression to emerge from America’s ghetto youth to touch the world. Yet, there are still many questions debated in the esoteric circles of the culture’s most loyal followers. Perhaps the biggest one being: Who is the Greatest MC of all time? While this question may be argued for eternity, up to this point the most successful MC ever, without a doubt, is Young Hov!
Paramount Classics’ Fade To Black, a new feature film that combines both documentary and concert film, brilliantly orchestrates this point. The film high-lights two of Sean “Jay-Z” Carter biggest accomplishments, his self described victory lap of an LP, The Black Album (proposed to be his final album) and the one night only, star-studded concert at Madison Square Garden. The concert celebrates his retirement from rap, while the proceeds also benefit the youth organizations founded by the mothers of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur.
Directed by Michael John Warren and Pat Paulson, Fade to Black intertwines the recording of the album, concert performances and backstage interviews flawlessly-- moving back and forth from concert footage to behind the scenes shots of Jay-Z and some of the best producers in hip-hop history. Narrated by Jay-Z himself, this film is the most candid portrayal of Jay-Z ever. To see Jay’s face the first time he hears the beats Timbaland cooked up for “Dirt Off Ya Shoulder” is amazing. This sensation is repeated throughout the film, as you get an up-close perspective on the creation of such Jay-Z classics as “99 Problems” and “Lucifer”. The filmmakers did an excellent job capturing the live performance as well. Complete with great shots of the audience (including a few celebs) mouthing the words to hit after hit, the energy of the live performance jumps off the screen.
Jay-Z’s guest list for the film includes: Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Foxy Brown, Common, Damon Dash, Missy Elliott, Funkmaster Flex, Just Blaze, Freeway, ?uestlove and the Illadelphonics, R. Kelly, Ghostface Killah, Memphis Bleek, P. Diddy, Pharrell, Q-Tip, Rick Rubin, Beanie Sigel, Slick Rick, Timbaland, Twista, Kanye West and Young Guru.
Though there have been concert films featuring rap artists in the past- such as The Show (1995) and Backstage (2000), the latter also starred Jay-Z- this is the first film to focus on one artist, for one concert, who rocks the whole night! The excitement of the concert is anchored by the introspective conversations between Jay-Z, and other artists, such as Pharrell and Just Blaze. One scene that stands out is a conversation between Jay and his crew about the topic of violence in rap music. Rarely does the music buying public get such a poignant critique on rap lyrics, especially from the rappers themselves.
Fade To Black will have you, singing, dancing and laughing. Yet, it’s the film’s insights that will have the audience thinking- placing it amongst the top ranking films of hip-hop cinema. Though, the legitimacy of Jay-Z’s retirement has been much debated, what is certain is that he is leaving at the top of the game. Traditionally, in a screenplay a fade to black marks the end of a scene, for Sean “Jay-Z” Carter, this Fade To Black marks a new beginning.
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