“The Fight Heard Around The World”: How an elevator became therapy for Blackness
Elevators > Therapy.
“Now, finally has the elevator arrived. The stairs was about to become a personal inferno.” — Anders Zorn
Disclaimer: This was taken from a Method Assignment I did for my Media and Communication Studies Class 399: Methods in Media and Communication Studies. I had to take an image and analyze its historical meaning. Enjoy.
As much as we praise the Met Gala for bringing out the individual fashion sense of celebrities, the event itself is not that memorable unless it is attached to a coveted outfit or an antic that eclipses the entire event. During the 2014 Met Gala, it was an elevator that dominated the conversation and changed the course of Black Music forever. The image of Beyonce, Jay-Z, Beyonce’s bodyguard Julius, and Solange Knowles exiting the elevator is forever embedded in the minds of everyone. While it is usually brought up in the form of “***Flawless,” an iconic track taken from Beyonce’s self-titled album, the elevator deserved more credit for actually elevating a cathartic version of Blackness towards future generations.
Presumably taken by paparazzi who were at the location, the infamous picture held a lot of anecdotes that extended beyond surface-level meaning from Jay-Z’s hand on his cheek to Solange’s hair. Even Beyonce’s outfit, a funeralistic dress completed by a veil, signified that death and rebirth took place within the elevator as they stepped back out into the world. According to Rolling Stone editor Jon Blistein’s article, “Solange Deletes Beyonce Photos From Instagram After Fight with Jay-Z in Elevator,” the altercation took place at the Standard Hotel in New York City. “The hotel condemned the leak as a violation of the privacy and confidentiality they offer customers, and promised to ‘discipline and prosecute the individuals involved to our fullest capacity,’ (Blistein, paragraph 4). Although it was never confirmed, the alleged rumor behind Solange attacking Jay-Z signified that his infidelity was revealed within the elevator.
This incident triggered an immense domino effect within the three artists. Solange’s transformation was not necessarily physical, but more so spiritual to the point where she wouldn’t even recognize her 2014 self. Her expression of anger and frustration in the picture was felt immediately after the incident had circulated online, which caused people to gossip about it for about a year and some change. She reemerged in 2016 with her spiritual rebirth of an audio experience entitled A Seat at the Table¹, where she invited the world into her innermost thoughts as a Black Woman navigating the world. The critically-acclaimed album featured a cover that showed her hair and face in their natural states. She was not angry, but rather she was radiating the calm, godly nature that Black Women are rarely allowed to express in our society. Gone was the wig and the inclination of rage as love and acceptance of Blackness filled Solange with happiness and healing throughout 21 tracks that clock in at 51:43.
Additionally, if you had analyzed Beyonce’s expression from the surface, you would have noticed that she wanted to bolt from the scene and head back to the house to spend time with Blue. Under the hood of her concerned yet poised facial expression, one could have wondered if she was trying to collect herself from the aftermath or confirm whatever was addressed within the elevator. The superstar had stopped the world on December 13th, 2013 with her self-titled album². The surprise drop was the only one of its kind based on the fact that there was no prior press on Beyonce doing anything on a musical scale between 4 (2011) and Beyonce (2013). The album represented a departure from her pop image as she returned to her musical roots via Hip-Hop and R&B experimental production. She was reaffirming her confidence and grace amidst a huge potential scandal that changed all of their lives forever. Lemonade (2016) was another surprise album that confirmed the core truth: Jay-Z had cheated on his wife. Nonetheless, she continued in the same vein as her self-titled album by reminding Jay and the world that she’s not just any other woman who would allow herself to be degraded in any manner. This was her call to action as she invited women listening to the album at the time to take back their power. Lemonade was Beyonce’s cathartic release from the reactionary atmosphere of Beyonce since both albums represented the Black Woman’s self-affirmation.
Finally, the confused look on Jay-Z’s face while he was holding his cheek was not exactly a typical Jay-Z expression. Usually perceived to be cool and collected, this was a rare moment for the world to see the superstar rapper in a weird light. Given that the rumors of his infidelity were confirmed with Lemonade, everyone was wondering whether he would come out with his side of the story. Before he made 4:44 with famed producer No I.D., Rolling Stone editor Elias Leight caught a glimpse of the process in his article entitled “‘4:44’ Producer No I.D. Talks Pushing Jay-Z, Creating ‘500 Ideas’” where No I.D. implored Shawn Carter to open up on record. “This album is about Shawn Carter, Jay-Z, opening up, and me scoring that” (Leight, paragraph 10). 4:44³ is the most unconventional Hov album due to the fact that he treated the entire album as a therapy session. Black men usually are not privy to therapy or any attempts on healing their generational wounds outside of foundational accountability. However, Shawn knew that Beyonce was basically giving him his papers on Lemonade so he had to kill his ego. Being that he was 47 years old at the time, it was extremely rare to witness exponential emotional and mental growth tracked at 46:18. Through this process, the Carters were able to renew their vows towards each other and rebuild their family.
A picture usually says a thousand words, yet this iconic Met Gala photo changed the trajectory of Black folks and their views on trauma and Blackness. These three artists stepped onto the elevator as individual parties damaged by one man’s mistakes and came off of the elevator reborn as musical phoenixes ready to heal their wounds through painful, therapeutic processes. To quote Beyonce herself, “Of course sometimes shit go down when its a billion dollars in the elevator,” (Genius.com,***Flawless (Remix)⁴. The fight heard around the world unknowingly changed lives for the better and we have the random paparazzi to thank for forever engraving that legendary moment into our heart, minds, and souls.
Works Cited
- “Anders Zorn Quotes.” Accessed November 22, 2020. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/anders_zorn_212751?src=t_elevator.
- Beyoncé. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2020, from https://genius.com/artists/Beyonce.
- Blistein, J. (2018, June 25). Solange Deletes Beyonce Photos From Instagram After Jay Z Fight. Retrieved November 08, 2020, from https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/solange-deletes-beyonce-photos-from-instagram-after-jay-z-fight-246932/.
- JAY-Z. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2020, from https://genius.com/artists/Jay-z.
- Leight, E. (2018, June 25). ‘4:44’ Producer No I.D. Talks Pushing Jay-Z, Creating ‘500 Ideas’. Retrieved November 08, 2020, from https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/444-producer-no-i-d-talks-pushing-jay-z-creating-500-ideas-253045/.
- Of course sometimes shit go down / When it’s a billion dollars on an elevator. (2014, August 02). Retrieved November 08, 2020, from https://genius.com/3780437.
- Smith, D. (2019, June 03). Surprise Albums: 17 Drops That Shocked The Music World: UDiscover. Retrieved November 08, 2020, from https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/surprise-albums-drops-shocked-world/.
- Solange. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2020, from https://genius.com/artists/Solange.
