Jay-Z's New Music Video "Moonlight" Is So Shady You'll Need A Jacket

    "So apparently Jay-Z's "Moonlight" video is appropriating white culture but Friends being a rip(spin)off of 'Living Single' isn't."

    Shyla Watson
    by Shyla Watson

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Yesterday afternoon, a music video trailer dropped for "Moonlight," a song on Jay-Z's new album, 4:44.

    TIDAL @TIDALHiFi

    Watch: @S_C_ x Moonlight x @TIDALHiFi https://t.co/We5OlPBrLl

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    And, guess what? The whole thing is a reimagining of '90s sitcom, Friends.

    Alan Yang / Tidal

    The cast features Issa Rae as Rachel, Tiffany Haddish as Phoebe, Tessa Thompson as Monica, Jerrod Carmichael as Ross, Lakeith Stanfield as Chandler, and Lil Rel Howery as Joey.

    We checked out the full video on Tidal and there's a lot going on. Here's a breakdown:

    Alan Yang / Tidal

    The music video, directed by Alan Yang, begins with a cast of young, black actors filming a recreation of the Friends Season 3 episode, "The One Where No One's Ready."

    When the scene cuts, Jerrod Carmichael walks off set to chat with Hannibal Buress (who, tbh, seems like he's only there for the food).

    Alan Yang/Tidal

    Carmichael tells him that filming this version of Friends will be "subversive and turn culture on its head" while Buress teases that he "did a good job of subverting good comedy." (It's all VERY meta, but I like it anyway.)

    Then, Carmichael leaves the set altogether and ends up outside staring at the moon while audio plays from this year's mistaken announcement of La La Land winning the Oscar for Best Picture.

    Alan Yang / Tidal

    "Ya'll stuck in La La Land / Even we win, we gon' lose," and "We stuck in La La Land / We got the same fuckin' moves," are lyrics in the chorus that also comment on the Oscar's flub.

    People were quick to suggest that the song criticizes pop culture and the media for overlooking black projects...

    Dulcé🥀 @dulcenoire

    So apparently Jay-Z's #Moonlight video is appropriating white culture but Friends being a rip(spin)off of 'Living S… https://t.co/oouWdKr1Jz

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    Matthew A. Cherry @MatthewACherry

    NBC execs seeing Jay-z's music video for #Moonlight drop on Tidal a day after explaining why they canceled the Carm… https://t.co/JNtT1tu366

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    Jason (Wakanda)🌈 @IsotopeRose

    Jay Z's Moonlight music video is meta for so many reasons. Friends stole their concept from Living Single. Moonligh… https://t.co/WZfEWNe9uo

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    (Some of the lyrics seem to support this idea, such as: "After all they done stole, for real?/ After what they done to our Lauryn Hill?" Another lyric reads, "'Cause their grass is greener/ 'Cause they always rakin' in mo.'")

    ...while others were just in love with the video and wanted it to be a real show.

    Ceresa Lee @So_Alive

    @AlanMYang @JoelleMonique Sooooo watching this 30,000 times is not healthy.......

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    Here for it.

    Allison P Davis @AllisonPDavis

    If twitter can get that Rihanna/Issa/Lupita heist film made, I believe we can get a series order forJay’s all black Friends by Sunday night

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    Check out the full video and more of Jay-Z's 4:44 on Tidal.