Halloween is in full effect and the celebrities are taking things into their own hands! However, Ciara and Russell Wilson took it up a notch by recreating Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s “Apeshit” video down to a tee.
In the photos posted on Twitter, Ciara stepped out in the same Peter Pilotto suit that we originally saw on Queen Bey, and Russell followed suit with a turquatic suit and sneakers that complimented Jay’s initial fit. For the pose, Ciara even got the high ponytail and volume in her hair, and I have to say, she did the damn thing. Of course, the video isn’t just about the clothing, but about the racial symbolism behind many of the things we see throughout the music video. Undeniably, bringing some of the Blackest imagery to a space that has largely erased the idea of Black bodies is one that felt provocative, if not uncomfortable.
Of course, they also had to give us video content to match, and the vibe is lit:
Y’all will remember that Beyoncé and Jay made history (well, history to me, at least) by creating such a strong resounding Black body of art, and then filming it at none other than the Louvre. There were so many moments that happened in the video, that it was easy to see how people could miss so many of the subliminal messaging.
In the Time article, Kimberly Drew, art curator, writer, and Metropolitan Museum of Art social media editor known to the Internet as @museummammy, said that the video “is super significant and especially for all those bodies of varying shades, to be in the museum space, is really profound.” For Ciara and Russ to do a recreation is only paying homage to the greatness of Black culture and our identity.
As someone who also enjoys art, and yet knows that it imitates life, I know that some feel that Beyoncé and Jay-Z are not necessarily the most open when it comes to opening the doors of art criticism. In a New Yorker article, “In the past, the Carters have been accused of being art fetishists. On “Drunk in Love,” Jay-Z raps that their foreplay ruined one of his Warhols; Beyoncé shot the music video for “7/11” on an iPhone in the Tribeca apartment that they once owned, where works by Richard Prince and David Hammons were unceremoniously on view. “Apeshit” is a gospel of acquisition, recalling in spirit the luxury-brand name-checking of the couple’s duet “Upgrade U,” from 2006.”
“Twelve years ago, it was all about the Audemars Piguet watch; now it’s G8 jets and diamonds as translucent as glass. But the video is a display of something that can’t be so easily quantified: influence. Beyoncé and Jay-Z seem to suggest that their own footprint will be as indelible as that of the entire canon of Western art. (“My great-great-grandchildren already rich / That’s a lot of brown on your Forbes list,” Beyoncé raps, haughtily.) Saiz often captures the couple standing or sitting still, holding court with the same air of permanence as the art-historical treasures around them.” Art is performative, but what is Black culture if not an art form?
Are y’all feeling the looks? I know I am!
