Rap duo Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Mercedes Maybach from their “Otis” music video is reportedly now off the auctioning block with reports claiming it reached a suitable bidder within minutes of its availability.
According to reports, the auction found a willing bidder who put up $60,000.
What has surely become one of the most memorable music video vehicles, the recent announcement that Jay-Z and Kanye West’s chopped up “Otis” Maybach would be auctioned off has culminated today with the news that the car has fetched $60,000 last week as a part of the New York Contemporary Art Evening. The car, which normally is priced at $100,000 – $150,000, sold to its winning bidder in just under five minutes. Despite the video footage of the Watch the Throne duo cruising in it, the Maybach was sold as a work of art as opposed to an operational vehicle. A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit Save the Children’s efforts to feed and support children in Africa. (Hype Beast)
Details of the charity-based auction taking place this month landed online around late February.
Writing curses in cursive wasn’t the only sophisticated ignorance Jay-Z and Kanye West were on in their “Otis” music video. They also took a $350,000 Maybach to the chop shop, completely destroying the luxury vehicle just for the h*ll of it. Now, over half a year later, news has come out that Hov and West will be auctioning the vehicle for charity at a Phillips de Pury auction. Although the car isn’t expected to get anywhere near the retail price, the organization is still hoping to pull in around $100,000. The auction will take place in New York on March 8. (Complex)
Save the Children CEO Carolyn Miles previously spoke on the charity-based auction.
“The funds raised from auctioning off the ‘Otis’ car are greatly needed to help sustain families over the next several months,” said Save the Children CEO Carolyn Miles. “We are grateful to Jay-Z and Kanye West for offering up pop culture history to do good for children in Africa.” (Statement)
In the music video, the rap duo also destroyed a $380,000 Maybach.
Unlike his previous collaborations with West — the maudlin short film “We Were Once a Fairytale” or the deceptively simple “Flashing Lights” — with “Otis,” Spike Jonze plays it relatively straight. There are the same tracking shots he’s used in old Beastie Boys videos, and the blown-out color palette recalls even earlier work like R.E.M.’s “Crush With Eyeliner” or “Electrolite.” He’s staying true to his roots, which, given the caliber of everyone involved, is an accomplishment in its own right. So while “Otis” might not be what you were expecting, in a lot of ways, it’s even more. There’s an unabashed joy to it, and there’s no denying the power of its singular image, either: slicing and dicing a Maybach (average sticker price: $380,000) is a bold, ballsy declaration, indeed. One that speaks louder than a million boasts. (MTV)
