The Black Album

Description

“They say they never really miss you til you dead or you gone, so on that note I’m leaving after this song.” -Jay-Z (The Black Album). This painting highlights the people involved in creating this iconic album at Roc A Fella records. It is a Last Supper scene as it was the last album before the group went their separate ways. The end of Roc A Fella was a significant loss in Hip Hop. The artists kept creating, but all of the artists, and the genre and culture itself experienced drastic changes. Hip Hop music informed my youth growing up in Nashville. In a city identified by country, I was acutely aware of the cultures that existed here, but were not highlighted.

Jay-Z, who has performed many times in Nashville and once held a branch of Roc Nation on Music Row, is arguably the most influential Hip Hop artist. That influence is felt among Nashville locals who don’t strongly identify with country music, as well with all music fans who have seen the influence and collaboration that is now common between Hip Hop and country music. If you climb the steps of downtown venues you’ll hear country music. Once you reach the rooftop you’ll hear some Jay-Z.