Jay Z's latest album, 4:44, is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only is the album itself a work of art, but the GRAMMY-winning rapper has been releasing star-studded music videos along with a "Footnotes" documentary series that captures black men talking candidly about complex and often sensitive themes.
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Last week Jay Z dropped the music video for the track "MaNyfaCedGod," which features Lupita Nyong'o. Now, in the new accompanying "Footnotes" clip, Jay Z, Chris Rock, Michael Che, Trevor Noah, and Meek Mill open up about emotional vulnerability and the stigma men face when seeking therapy.
"We can't go to get therapists. You crazy at that point. It's like, 'A psychiatrist? You crazy'," he said. "Three of your brothers are dead and your mother used to beat you. You need help. Someone needs to talk you through why you're feeling these feelings."
Previous "Footnotes" installments have covered topics such as racism and relationships and have featured stars such as Kendrick Lamar, Aziz Ansari and Will Smith. Directed by writer/comedian Neal Brennan, the underlying purpose of the series is to destigmatize complex topics and invite a freeing discussion, especially for men.
"I think Jay went to therapy and it seems like he realized we're all hiding something and none of our secrets are any worse than anybody else's secrets," said Brennan. "We all pretty much have the same types of secrets, same types of emotional disabilities and it's worth talking about. It's freeing for the person who does it … and it's also freeing for people that watch it or listen to it."
