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Jay Z appeared on the political talk show Real Time With Bill Maher last night before premiering his performance-art video for “Picasso Baby” on HBO. Throughout the show, he talks with Maher about the possibility of getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Harry Belafonte’s recent criticism and the disappearing middle class.
Jay said if he could choose who inducted him into the hall of fame, he’d choose Obama—”He owes me a couple!” As far as Belafonte, Jay said he thought bringing Beyonce into the critiques was “a bit of a low blow.” Something else of note, when Jay Z’s name appears on a banner for the show, the descriptions underneath range from “entrepreneur” to “artist”—clearly Maher is aligning Jay with his self-proclaimed “business, man” description.
Alongside guests such as Alexis Goldstein of the OccupyNetwork.com, Josh Barro the political editor of Business Insider and Barney Frank, a former Democratic congressman from Massachusetts, Jay’s appearance marks much more than a publicity stunt. It marks his movement into larger political and cultural realms, something that makes sense for Jay considering the amount of influence he now wields. Watch the video above to see the full conversation.
(Complex)
