Video Breakdown: Jay-Z’ “On to the Next One”

Jay-Z has made it cool to be old in hip-hop. He might not have the young street edge that he used to and no longer raps about hustlin’ on the block but he’s managed to effortlessly transition into a more refined and comfortable position as the distinguished older leader of hip-hop. He’s like the Sean Connery of rap, only getting better with age. One area in particular Jay has really stepped it up is in the video department. Out of left field he has teamed up with Sam Brown and create "On to the Next One", a visually stunning piece that looks more at home at the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) than on BET or MTV.



The sterile black and white color scheme provides a post-modern backdrop for the visually stunning and creatively risky video. I could claim to know what I’m talking about but the video truly pulls from a diverse pool of obscure modern art, most of which all of us reading this, myself included are probably unfamiliar with. One thing is certain, the creative use of imagery is beautiful and interesting to watch. The visual scheme of the ink in the water, the Blueprint 3 logo, the Matthew Barney inspired rhinestone skull, the flaming balls bouncing, the haunting clown paint on the drummer and dancers, the girls with the rhinestones on their faces all make this video interesting and exciting to watch during every cut. Each new unassociated visual vignette is exciting to watch and makes you think. The bottom line is that the visuals are dope. You can watch this video just for the video and not even think about it being a video for a song. It stands alone by itself as a work of art.

The best part about this video, however, is that no one, including myself, expected a video like this to come from HOV. This type of aesthetic and concept for a video would be more typical for a Lady Gaga or even recent Janet Jackson, but not from the king of Brooklyn. He also did not have to take this kind of creative risk at this point in his career; that alone deserves respect. The most impressive part about this video, therefore, is not the visuals. Don’t get me wrong, they are fantastic, but the most impressive achievement in “On To The Next On” is the fact that Jay-Z, a 40 year-old rapper who started out rapping about selling drugs on his block in Brooklyn, has been able to evolve into an artist that is at the top of his game and the industry and able to produce a video and song like this.