There is sure to be much discussion about whether it is another cash-in, or a tribute.
But there are heavy parallels between the scenes witnessed in the video for Jay Z's latest single, No Church In The Wild, and the last year's Occupy protests.
It is a cheeky move from the hip hop mogul, who was widely criticised last year for 'cashing in' by printing T-shirts inspired by the movement and keeping the profits for himself.
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO (WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE)....
Controversial: Jay Z and Kanye West risked angering the Occupy movement again with the video for No Church In The Wild
But he will surely defend the video for the latest single - from his Watch The Throne collaboration album with Kanye West - perhaps suggesting it a tribute to the populist protests, which complained about social and economic inequality.
The expensively produced video starts out with a young man walking alone to launch a molotov cocktail towards riot police on the streets of Prague.
An urban battle ensues, and as a crowd battle the shielded officers, police on horseback ride in and start viciously hitting the rioters with their batons.
Rustling up a cocktail: But this one of the molotov variety is sure to cause a lot of trouble
I predict a riot: The hoodlum is going gets ready to lob his concoction towards a line of riot police
Kicking off: The rioters soon show up on the scene to start the fighting in earnest
Later the scene switches to night, with a more multiracial crowd taking part in an even more heated scene, with a police car even being overturned and set on fire, while other rioters begin to loot.
Meanwhile the local constabulary fight back, and one man is held down in front of a barking police, before water cannons are brought in in another attempt to pour cold water on the conflict.
It ends with green lasers being shot into the crowd, and a burning man running towards a barricade, which he cannot get through.
The parallels with the last year's protests may in fact be an attempt to win back favour from the Occupy crowd.
Trying to break through: This violent individual tries to kick his way through the wall of shields
Pole axed: This hooded rioter manages to knock the policeman from his horse with a well-timed blow.
Flamers: The rioters managed to set this police car on fire as they continued to battle the authorities.
Occupy Wall Street protesters who were angered by the exploitative selling of Rocawear's 'Occupy All Streets' T-shirts.
They were on sale in November for $22 each, yet none of the proceeds were donated to support the '99 per cent' cause.
TMZ spoke to a prominent figure in the movement at the time who said: 'Jay-Z, as talented as he is, has the political sensibility of a hood rat and is a scrotum.
Laserquest: The police soon found out shooting the protesters with ray guns did not have an effect.
More effective: Shooting teargas into the horde seemed to have a greater effect as it forced them to disperse.
Flare for the dramatic: The fireworks on show made the video even more dramatic than it was before.
To attempt to profit off of the first important social moment of 50 years with an overpriced piece of cotton is an insult to the fight for economic civil rights known as #occupywallstreet.'
The publicity generating move did not seem to help his company though.
For according to documents filed at the New York Department of Labor, 28 of the 56 workers at the fashion label were let go on January 6.
Cuts were made to the men and boys' division of the hip hop apparel line that the star and his partner, Damon Dash, founded in 1999, citing 'economic reasons' as the cause.
Double act: It is the video for the latest single from close friends Jay Z and Kanye West's Watch The Throne album.
Courting controversy: The rapper angered Occupy Wall Street protesters last year with his T-shirt line.
Culled from The Daily Mail UK.
xoxo
Simply Cheska....
No comments:
Post a Comment