Watch JAY ‘s Z “Footnotes of The Story of O.J.” featuring Kendrick Lamar & Will Smith.
To accompany his 4:44 album release and animated visual for “The Story of O.J.,” JAY-Z has released Episode One for “Footnotes for ‘The Story of O.J.’” The eight-minute clip features commentary about race, power, injustice, and more from luminaries such as Kendrick Lamar, Will Smith, Chris Rock, and Hov himself.
“We tend to, as black people—’cause we never had anything, which is understandable—we get to a place and we just think we separate ourself from the culture,” explains JAY. “Like O.J. will get to a space where he’s like, ‘I’m not black, I’m O.J.’ Like Tiger Woods will get to a space and think, ‘I’m above the culture.’”
Kendrick reflects on witnessing a black man get killed in front of his apartment building when he was just five years old. “The disrespect and the manner that this officer—he was a bad officer, I would say that for sure—that he approached my mother with was completely out of line,” he says.
Mahershala Ali, Michael B. Jordan, Trevor Noah, and Will Smith also provide some powerful words of wisdom. “What I put in my head was gonna create my life,” shares Smith. “I knew really young that if I thought of myself as somehow less than somebody else, I was gonna build a life that was less.”
JAY continues to spread knowledge. “I’ve never had an inferior complex ever,” he says. “I had a sense of who I am. From my mom, I had a strong belief in my talent, so I didn’t defer to anyone.”
The clip ends with a preview for the “444” visual, which drops Friday at 4:44 p.m.
JAY-Z’s new album is now available to stream for all TIDAL members, including those who just signed up, courtesy of Sprint.
