Here For It: Jay-Z on Trump, The Grammys and a Dancer's Mythical Beast

Check It: Jay-Z, Trump and Twitter

Rapper Jay-Z was Van Jones' featured guest for the premiere episode of his new CNN show over the weekend, and they cut straight to the quick. Jay was both thoughtful and critical toward President Trump's recent comments about several African countries and the continent as a whole, and also talked about unemployment for black folks in America. Jones asked Jay-Z if it was acceptable for Trump "to say terrible things but put money in our pockets" — nope, no it is not, said Jay, "because it's not about money at the end of the day. Money doesn't equate to happiness. It doesn't. That's missing the whole point." 

As is his wont, Trump retaliated against Jay-Z on Twitter: 

Somebody please inform Jay-Z that because of my policies, Black Unemployment has just been reported to be at the LOWEST RATE EVER RECORDED!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2018

A little research will tell you, anyone, that the unemployment rate for black Americans has been on the decline since 2010  — thank you, President Obama. I love that Jay-Z's latest incarnation is public intellectual. Just about every song he's ever written is among the smartest, sharpest and most poignant commentary on how we live in this country and why. Bring it.   

Recap: The Grammys

The Grammys featured a night filled with gorgeous, affecting and upbeat performances, some politics, and a lot of testosterone. Kendrick Lamar opened the show with a moving medley of songs, with backup dancers in hoodies who collapsed to the sound of gunshots. The performance got a standing ovation, and it deserved all of that. Lamar, whose album Damn won Best Rap Album (presented by Dave Chappelle), raps and performs with impunity — that is where he finds his freedom, and it is glorious

Kesha was joined by Cindi Lauper, Andra Day and several other women wearing all-white outfits for an emotional performance of "Praying," a song she wrote about her former producer and alleged abuser. Introduced by Janelle Monae, who let folks know upfront "we come in peace, but we mean business," Kesha gave what felt like the evening's only standout #MeToo moment.  

Just one woman took home a Grammy last night. Alessia Cara won for Best New Artist, an award many people, including myself, expected SZA to take home. SZA  was the most nominated woman of the year with five nominations for her debut album CTRL. Bruno Mars swept, which, to be honest, is actually fine, because he is extremely fine and extremely talented and exudes joy and I'm here for it. I'm less here for two European white men — Sting and Bono — singing about the meaning of America, but Gary Clarke Jr's tribute to Chuck Berry, although entirely too short, was magnificent.    

Jay-Z, who was honored with the Founder's Award (I don't know what that is) at Clive Davis's pre-gala gala the night before, won nothing at the actual Grammys. Still, he and Beyonce were striking in all-black, while daughter Blue Ivy wore white and a full-on attitude. In maybe the evening's most delightful moment, the camera rolled on Blue shushing her parents who she clearly felt were clapping too loud or too long or too something. It was GIF magic immediately, and we are all better for it.

Get Tickets/Go See: David Thompson: "he his own mythical beast"

I can't even lie, this show sounds fascinating, but I'm not going to try to describe it better than the artist himself, because:

"he his own mythical beast" interrogates the complexities of American culture and draws from Hitchcock’s Rear Window, James Baldwin, the confession booth, Claudia Rankine, high school fights, Judith Butler, baptism, Roland Barthes, and Trisha Brown. Venus, a character that flirts with black face, gender ambiguity and sexuality, becomes a guide on this journey. Part beast and part myth, Venus is named after the Hottentot Venus, aka Sarah Baartman – an enslaved black woman who was exhibited as an exotic in the early 19th Century London and Paris. This code-shifting chimaera is Thomson’s response to the post-modern performance aesthetic that historically privileged neutrality as a means of subverting the personal narrative.

I mean, what is even happening? How do you not go see a "code-shifting chimaera" that is responding to "the post-modern performance aesthetic that historically privileged neutrality?" More than ever, art matters. And black bodies, lives and creative work is so critically integral to our conversations around art in this current political and cultural climate, when we have to keep breathing for those who can't, and reinventing for the next generation of those who can. The performance is part of the 13th Annual (and final) Coil Festival at Performance Space 122.