If we’ve learnt anything from the Carters, it’s that they don’t like doing things quietly. Whether it’s a pregnancy announcement during the MTV VMAs, or a Botticelli-esque photoshoot, there’s nothing Beyoncé and Jay-Z love more than setting their fans (and the Beyhive) into a frenzy.
And they did not disappoint over the weekend with the surprise release of their long-speculated joint album, Everything Is Love, and the video of the album’s first single ‘Apesh**t’.
The video shows the couple strut throughout the Louvre in Paris, Beyoncé dancing with a line of African-American backup dancers in front of Neoclassical artwork The Coronation of Napoleon, while Jay-Z rhymes in front of the museum’s famous entrance pyramid.
It's a music clip to launch a thousand think pieces, with many references to art, feminism, identity and race, and it’s heartening to see two people considered outsiders in the world of 20th century art taking over a traditionally white space.
And while the Louvre is often used as a backdrop for film and TV, it’s rare to see performers interact so closely with the artworks.
One Twitter user Heidi Herrera has given a breakdown of these interactions and why the video is so monumental, in one comprehensive thread.
With each artistic reference, what is clear is that Beyoncé is considered and measured in every move she makes, and the creation of this video is something she may have been thinking about for some time. Remember when she posted a photo ?
Here they are recreating that shot again in this latest clip.
Some critics have also noted the inclusion of the close-up shot of , an artwork painted after the abolition of slavery in France, as a pointedly political statement.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z in 2014. Source: Instagram
Beyoncé and Jay-Z have taken over the Louvre in their new video. Source: YouTube
Other shots, such as the image of one female dancer teasing out a male dancer’s hair in front of the Mona Lisa (which is also the cover art for the album), not only refers to black bodies taking up white spaces, but points to intimacy between African-American couples. Some have noted the similarity between this image and the work of photographer , who examines black intimacy through her work.
After cheating rumours emerged with the release of Beyoncé’s 2016 album Lemonade, Jay-Z has previously stated that the couple would work through . “We were using our art almost like a therapy session,” he told the New York Times in 2017.
Everything Is Love seems to be the conclusion of the couple airing their dirty laundry. Beyoncé is here for supporting her husband, whether that’s through a joint ‘On The Run’ stadium tour, working on this album (which arguably benefits Jay-Z more than Beyoncé) or doing away with chart success by releasing Everything Is Love on Jay-Z’s .
With every career move Beyoncé makes, from Lemonade to her headline performance at this year’s Coachella, her fans are reminded that she is too good for this world. She might be time and time again, but Beyoncé, like most creative geniuses, doesn’t need them.
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