JAY-Z's New Video “Family Feud” Envisions A Future That's Female AF
First, we can talk about the way Ava has engraved "2017" in Old English typography on the curve of her crown.
A mother of nine, Ms. DuVernay gave birth to spearheading narratives (Wrinkle in Time, 13TH, Queen Sugar, Selma, Venus Vs, Middle of Nowhere, I Will Follow, My Mic Sounds Nice, This is The Life) through the womb of her artistic vision.
And now, enter her latest project, Jay-Z's highly anticipated visual for "Family Feud."
Essentially, the Octavia Butler-inspired short film is a music video for the single from Jay-Z's 8-time Grammy-nominated album 4:44 that was released earlier this year. Composed by Flying Lotus, the video takes us through the motifs of power, politics, infidelity, womanism, and Black excellence. Also in the video, taking place across multiple centuries, are Michael B. Jordan, Thandie Newton, Rosario Dawson, Janet Mock, Jessica Chastain, Brie Larson, America Ferrara, Rashida Jones, Mindy Kaling, Constance Wu, and finally, Blue Ivy Carter, seen with her father.
The video is nothing short of a masterpiece.
What stood out to me the most, however, is the boiling undercurrent of metaphors that taste like lessons to be devoured and digested. One of the main interpretations that I walked away with was the significance of community, tribe, and fellowship. I see in Ava's work a deliberate understanding of the importance of tribe - a devotion to it. From her, I take the lesson that building your excellence is not only contingent upon your ability to call out others' excellence but to use your God-given abilities to illuminate the magic in others.
Your excellence exists. But our role in the Black community is to push each other forward.
That is how we make progress.
Ava's greatness continues to excel because of her recognition of the excellence in other marginalized community members. Selflessly honoring others has become an act of revolution. She is building a world for us through her art. And I believe she is creating this world because of her ability to direct the greatness of others into the light, through a lens that is has become integral to a vision of the future. Starving our individual ego and feeding the collective spirit of the Black community is the only mechanism that will prevail to revolutionize our current standing in this world.
Ava teaches us in "Family Feud" that the only structure that can withstand the cold winds of the political climate is the foundation we build in the home. Invest in your community, your friends, your family, your comrades, your sisters. Push their truths forward. That is how you build a tribe.
And that is how you build excellence.
Ava's placement of multiple radical and pioneering women in the video as The Founding Mothers is a visual metaphor of "queens recognize queens."
Place your friends on the pedestal that needs their truth. Remind them of the throne that they fit in. Place the crown on their head.
Imagine looking at the representation that Ava continues to carry in her works - Queen Sugar, A Wrinkle In Time, I Will Follow, Middle of Nowhere - as a young child from a marginalized community. Looking through the same lens that Ava created a world for me to exist is the greatest sentiment of love that one could imagine.
It gives color to a black and white world of constructed gender roles, feminine and masculine ideals, and violent grays that exist as dust in the crevices of our history that go overlooked. Ava's astuteness is direct in her execution in this mosaic of metaphors.
With each placement of the strong woman figureheads in the video is a declaration: the future is female.
Utilizing the kindred women around her in each of their individualism is a concise correlation to the idea that sisterhood is a pertinent component to a successful empire. Understanding the power in each woman in your vicinity and respecting their space to exist as the majestic human being that they are is the greatest way to say, "I love you and I am here to build with you."
To affirm others in their own excellence is how you solidify your own.
Maintain a supportive tribe around you and burn all inclinations of ego-driven success. The sisters around you are the glue between the gold bricks in your empire. A single bracelet does not jingle. There is nothing more empowering than being able to mirror the excellence that is around you; sisterhood as a safe space will shelter the heart from the tribulations that this world promises.
From her visual masterpiece, I am solidified in my belief that building a community is one of the greatest key components to greatness. It is vital to remember to honor those around you and make a commitment to excellence through selflessly pushing your community forward.
Because nobody wins when the family feuds.
Watch the exclusive video on TIDAL for free while you can. There's a 12-day free trial just in time for the holidays.
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Olivia Jade is a writer and creative engineer, intersecting wellness, culture, womanism, and self-development. She waters the flowers in her mind so others can recognize their own internal garden. Link up: @akaoliviajade (Twitter and IG) oliviajade.co
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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How A Stay At Switzerland's Luxurious 7132 Hotel Reminded Me To Live The Life I Deserve
Sometimes, as women—especially as single Black women—we simply need to be reminded that we are deserving of living a life we dream of. Even if that means creating it for ourselves. I recently set out on a weeklong trip to Switzerland, a trip I’ve been wanting to take for years, and near the end of my visit, I had an epiphany.
“DeAnna, this is the life you deserve,” I thought to myself as I took in the gorgeous bathroom in my suite at the famous 7132 Hotel and Thermal Spa. It was one of the most luxurious hotels (and bathrooms) I had ever stayed in—and that’s saying a lot for someone who often travels for work.
To help you better understand why this was such a mental awakening for me, I first need to give a bit of my backstory. I’m in my late thirties. I’m an attorneyand a journalist. I own a home and have traveled the world extensively. Essentially, I’ve done everything in life I set out to do. However, when it comes to dating, I struggle. Not because there is anything wrong with me per se, but because my career and “lifestyle” often create problems in my romantic relationships.
View from my hotel room
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I’ve been told everything from, ‘I can’t continue to date you because you seem to choose your career over wanting to settle down and have kids’ by a man after only the second date to ‘Maybe if you just sat down somewhere for a while, I’d actually wife you’ by someone who has honestly never proven themselves to be the settle down type. And these are only a handful of the things I’ve been told over the years.
It’s been frustrating, to say the least, and there have even been seasons where I purposely dimmed my light in hopes that my career wouldn’t push away potential suitors. I know what you’re thinking, “Girl, why would you even consider that? If they’re for you, it won’t matter what you do.” Hey, don’t judge me, but also, I one hundred percent agree.
My hotel bathroom
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That’s why this recent moment in Switzerland was right on time. When I first walked into the hotel to check in, I was blown away by the surrounding beauty. It was a five-star property with one of the world’s most famous thermal bathhouses. Yet, it was something about seeing that 90% of the hotel’s guests were couples, that forced me to sit back for a bit of introspection—while soaking in the thermal spa, of course.
As I went through the mental conversation, there was a battle of sorts. On one hand, I knew that being able to partake in experiences like the one I was having at that moment was important to me. I knew that, at times I actually love being able to dabble in the finer things—after all, I’ve worked hard to be able to afford them. On the other hand, and sadly, I knew that sometimes being a single Black woman that publicly showcases her “luxurious” habits can intimidate men and even scare them off from pursuing you under the guise of them feeling like they “can’t do anything for you, because you have everything.”
My hotel room
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So, what is a girl to do?
Do I minimize/hide the life and experiences that I have? Do I play down the hard work I’ve put in to get where I am professionally? Or, do I risk being single in exchange for being able to have said life, without backlash?
Luckily, the joy that I felt while being at this property won. There was something about taking a full day to simply pamper myself at the bathhouse and in my in-room steam shower and soaker tub, indulging in cuisine from a 2-star Michelin restaurant and doing all of this while surrounded by an amazing group of Black women that reminded me—this is certainly the life I was meant to live and that I deserve. Even if it means that right now, I’ll just have to provide it for myself until the right partner comes along. And honestly, I’m okay with that.
Restaurant at 7132 hotel
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