The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century
<p>Jay Z’s <em>Picasso Baby</em> is just one of hundreds of hip-hop songs that heavily reference the world of modern and contemporary art. Picasso, Rothko, Koons, Baquiat, and Warhol make an appearance as Jay Z positions his role as a rapper within the celebratory pantheon of artistic greatness:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Don’t forget America, this how you made me<br />
Come through with the ‘Ye mask on<br />
Spray everything like SAMO, I won’t scratch the Lambo<br />
What’s it gon’ take for me to go, for you to see?<br />
I’m the modern day Pablo Picasso, baby</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67m0ng6fKQE&ab_channel=JayZVEVO" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">The music video for Picasso Baby</a> takes the form of a short film showing Jay Z performing the song at Pace Gallery, interacting with the audience in a way that evokes performance art. The music video is full of even more references to contemporary art, with appearances by artists Marina Abramović and Fred Wilson among others. This past semester I taught the music video to my students, and I’ve had the relationships between hip-hop and art on the mind lately. To celebrate International Museum Day on May 18th, I took myself to see an exhibition I had been looking forward to for a long time: The Culture at the Baltimore Museum of Art.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/@marginaliant/the-culture-hip-hop-and-contemporary-art-in-the-21st-century-2e1efc5e7ed"><strong>Website</strong></a></p>