Fade to Black

Synopsis: An intimate look at hip-hop artist Shawn Carter, Jay-Z, revealing the multiple Grammy Award winning artist as never before, from his background and rise to fame to the recording of his last album. The film chronicles the legendary concert of Jay-Z's performance at Madison Square Garden in November 2003. In an unprecedented event, a hip-hop artist sold out an arena in only two hours. Nearly one year later, fans and artists alike still reflect on this monumental musical night. The event was a spectacular culmination of Jay-Z's recording career prior to his self-proclaimed retirement from solo performing. Yet this one night also defined a musical generation, showcasing the evolution and reach of the world's most popular music genre. Guest performers included Jay-Z's closest friends and music industry colleagues: Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, R. Kelly, Foxy Brown, Pharrell, and Questlove and The Illadelphonics along with appearances by hip hop icons Damon Dash, Rick Rubin, Slick R
Genre: Documentary
Production: Wilshire Court Productions
  1 nomination.
 
IMDB:
6.9
Metacritic:
59
R
Year:
2004
109 min
312 Views


Look, I heard people say I'm

the luckiest man on the planet.

I like to think I stay ready.

A wise man once told me

luck isn't some mystical energy

that dances around the universe

randomly bestowing people

with satisfaction and jo y.

You create your own luck.

My whole career, I been thinking

of a night like this.

Like what's about to happen.

That's what's going on.

I was like, "Oh, sh*t."

This is it right now.

A night with all the stars

in line.

I ain't trying to get

too dramatic on y'all,

but that night, I felt like

the luckiest man in the world.

Or as my man C-Thru would say,

"Lucky Lefty."

I'll be

at the Trump International.

Ask for me.

You out of here now.

You said it's o ver.

I got you.

It was like a whole energy.

I was just standing up

on the seats.

I ain't did that since

going to see Michael Jackson.

This is history right here.

Jay-Z in the Garden.

All by hisself.

He just sold out the sh*t

by hisself in four minutes.

Dear Jay.

Why you leaving the game, baby?

You're supposed to stay and keep

it thorough and finish rapping.

It's done.

It's a wrap.

Garden is no more.

Modern-day hip-hop, this is

what it's supposed to be.

A show like this, where it's

big and the nigga's feeling it

and it's real music.

I hope you had a great time.

I had a wonderful time.

I feel like I waited too long

for it to be o ver this fast.

For real.

I knew saying goodbye

was the right thing to do.

But this goodbye

began like a long kiss.

Let me take y'all back

to the beginning.

Of the end, that is.

Anytime you gonna make an album,

especially if

this is your last album,

every single track

has to be a statement.

In your mind, you thinking, "I

have to make the perfect album."

That's what you think.

Anybody know me

know I'm dead serious.

I will sit there,

drive myself crazy

till I find that right track.

Don't waste

my motherfucking time!

That nigga's depressed.

He gotta get out the basement.

Only two things

that get you through this, man.

That's patience and persistence.

Not easy, bro.

You do a lot of bullshit

before you get the jewels.

This right here

we call the Magic Moment.

Right now I'm thinking,

"Where's this going?

What does this track say?"

I look at music like a puzzle.

I try to figure it out.

Figure out

what I'm gonna say on it.

Figure out the emotion

of the track, what it's saying.

Then I go through my Rain Man.

I can't explain it to y'all,

man.

It comes out of the air for me.

I start mumbling.

They say you put the right

artist with the right track

in the studio, leave the door

cracked, and let God in.

It's almost time now, niggas!

Yeah, Hot 97 Funk Flex.

- Jay-Z.

- Yes, sir.

- Memphis Bleek.

- Yeah.

Of course, the concert.

You know what it is.

Jay-Z is coming to the Garden.

Tickets go on sale Saturday.

This is a very big deal,

New York.

There hasn't been something

in the Garden in so long.

And it's beautiful.

And you know what, man?

When I was looking once again

at the Jumbotron,

it wasn't an R&B concert

and you're on it,

or it wasn't a reggae concert.

It's Jay-Z.

And I think this is such

a great thing, man.

It's nice to see you

at the Garden.

From Marcy to Madison Square,

man.

This isn't the short

Summer Jam joint.

This isn't a condensed show.

This is Jay-Z all evening long.

Are you gonna do the collabo

maybe with Beyonc that night?

That might happen.

You know where I'm going now,

right?

That might happen.

Jay-Z has just stopped

looking at me.

We in the Garden, nigga.

That may not be a big deal

for pop acts or rock acts.

They sell out the Garden

a couple nights in a row.

But for hip-hop, we wasn't even

allowed in the building.

Passes only!

No one's getting in without one.

Allow me to keep it real.

The Gun is here.

Bleek is here.

Freeway here.

If Jay don't show up,

we gonna shut this sh*t down

even more.

I'm the f***ing king of New York

after tonight.

That's what the f***

I'm playing.

The people with him

have to get frisked.

Gonna have a problem upstairs.

You should have your

f***ing credential anyway.

You ready?

His lead security guy

is stuck down there,

but his name is on the list.

You find a man for me?

F***ing long-ass walk, man.

Everybody gonna retire

like that.

No, no.

No, no.

Jay retiring

'cause he's that f***ing nigga.

Jay earned that

'cause he's nice.

Don't get it twisted.

He worked hard.

Tell Ahmir I need a drop

on that last sh*t on "Song Cry"

with the L.L. sh*t.

Tell him to come see me.

They want to do one more song.

You tell me.

You got four minutes.

Whatever we gotta do,

let's do it right now.

We gotta all get our pictures

'cause I have to really go.

Thank y'all for coming.

You got it crazy downstairs.

It's like Saddam Hussein

trying to get up in this joint.

Damn.

Tickets in your hand, please.

I've gotta get in my zone now.

There's gonna be no talking.

I'm gonna go in,

I'm gonna think,

and I'm gonna envision myself

tearing this down.

That's how you do it.

You gotta envision it first.

He's back there just being calm.

You can't get ex cited.

It's another day.

He said, "Treat it

like it's Boston."

It's Boston.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Tonight we come to Madison

Square Garden, New York City,

to see and hear

a legendary superstar.

From Marcy Projects, Bed-Stuy,

Brooklyn, New York,

presenting the one, the only

undisputed, undefeated

heavyweight champion

of the world of hip-hop.

He is Jay-Z!

Put your motherfucking hands up!

Put your motherfucking hands up!

Ho v-I, baby!

What more can I say, New York?

I done said it all.

Done it all.

I'm gonna keep

my motherfucking jacket on.

Hey, I put together a special

evening for y'all tonight.

I brought y'all

some different sh*t.

I want y'all to see how far we

can take it as hip-hop artists.

I'm opening back up

this Madison Square Garden

for hip-hop.

Tonight is a charity night.

We still gonna have

a lot of fun, though.

Y'all leave this motherf***er

do your job.

I'm gonna do my job.

Tonight I brought you

with myself? uestlo ve

and the Illadelphonics.

Me myself.

I go by a couple names.

Sometimes they call me Jigga.

Sometimes they call me

Jigga Man.

Sometime they call me Ho v.

The One.

But tonight I'll be...

One more time for them.

One more time.

Sounds so beautiful.

Don't you agree?

I'm glad everybody

could be here with me tonight.

Y'all could have been anywhere

in the world.

But y'all at the Garden.

Let's get it popping.

Two, three, four!

Like I said, when you're making

your last album,

you want everything

to be perfect.

In order for everything

to be perfect,

everybody has to be focused.

You don't know how hard it is

to get everybody on

the same page at the same time

for one thing.

You had a meeting in the studio?

You stopped the music?

Don't ever stop the music.

Take that sh*t to the hallway,

to the office.

Anywhere.

Don't ever stop the music.

That's what pay the bills.

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Vernon Zimmerman

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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