Jay-Z’s “Moonlight” Video Remakes Friends With All Black Actors
Jay-Z has revealed yet another music video from his well-received new album 4:44. This time the song is “Moonlight,” the track that obliquely references this year’s Best Picture mixup at the Academy Awards. Its video, directed by Master Of None co-creator Alan Yang, plays on a different pop-cultural reference: It remakes the hyper-successful NBC sitcom Friends with an all-black cast. As Pitchfork explains:
Joey, Chandler, and Ross are played by Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), Lakeith Stanfield (Atlanta), and Jerrod Carmichael (The Carmichael Show) respectively. Meanwhile, Insecure mastermind Issa Rae stars as Rachel, while Tiffany Haddish plays Phoebe, and Tessa Thompson plays Monica. The Friends remake becomes self-referential around the middle, as the fourth wall breaks down and Hannibal Buress inexplicably appears as himself.
“Moonlight” is, of course, a TIDAL exclusive, so watch it below if you have TIDAL.
4:44 is out now.