What Makes JAY-Z's "The Story of O.J." Music Video So Important

"O.J. like, 'I'm not black, I'm O.J.!' ... okay."

It is this single line in "The Story of O.J.," Jay-Z's track off of his new album 4:44 that drives home the message of the song... lyrically and visually.

The song, which is centered around O.J. Simpson's complicated relationship with race issues, is lyrically moving, but the music video is visually brilliant. That said, to understand the video, it is easier to first understand the song. To first understand the song, you have to understand the main character, O.J. Simpson.

"The Story of O.J." title is referring to O.J. Simpson, who has become one of the most infamous people in American history. Simpson was a star running back at the University of Southern California in 1967 and 1968, winning the coveted Heisman trophy in '68. Simpson went on to play a majority of his professional football career with the Buffalo Bills, then winding down his career playing for his hometown San Fransisco 49ers. In an illustrious career, Simpson, nicknamed "Juice" as a play on words of his name O.J., would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Not only was Simpson a great football player, but he was more so a cultural icon. O.J.'s charisma and ability to seemingly connect with anyone, no matter how long he knew him or her, was extremely marketable throughout his life. In 1975, People magazine writer Mark Goodman called Simpson "the first black athlete to become a bona fide lovable media superstar." The Juice saw his acting career take off after his retirement from football, as well as his new role as an NFL commentator. Simpson was everywhere, through endorsements as well as his profession. He was what Peyton Manning is to this generation: America's Golden Boy.

It's extremely important to understand how Simpson's popularity plays into "The Story of O.J." In October of 2016, Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote a piece called "What O.J. Simpson Means to Me" for The Atlantic. In the article, Coates sums up how Simpson's ballooning popularity made O.J. the unique black superstar in the country in the 1970s:

"An old friend of Simpson’s says in Made in America that Simpson was 'seduced by white society.' Perhaps. But the seduction was mutual, and he used his football fame to gain access to white patrons eager to expose him to the finer things in life. 'I took him places where I think very few black men had ever been,' Frank Olson, the former CEO of Hertz, says in the film. Simpson mingled with wealthy entrepreneurs at golf clubs where he was one of the few black members, or the first and only black member. He gave them the thrill of convening with a real sports hero at his mansion, Rockingham, nestled in the wealthy white suburb of Brentwood. Simpson’s social circle helped him amass a small fortune. By the 1990s, his net worth was estimated to be $10 million. He was the CEO of O. J. Simpson Enterprises, which owned stakes in hotels and restaurants, and he sat on four different corporate boards," wrote Coates.

Coming out of the 1960s, a time of deep racial tension, Simpson seemed to be the rare black athlete that not only connected with white America but actually thrived doing so.

O.J. would eventually use his newfound fame and prestige in Los Angeles's upper classes of white communities to distance himself from his skin tone.

"Other prominent athletes of [Simpson's] day had refused to serve during the war in Vietnam (Muhammad Ali) and raised their fists in protest of racism at the Olympics (Tommie Smith, John Carlos). Simpson had done no such thing, instead preferring the comforts that came with the adoration of white America," wrote Maxwell Strachan of the Huffington Post in 2016. "Simpson was beautiful. He was beloved. He was the first black athlete to successfully transition into a corporate spokesman. But what Simpson seemed to most want was the one thing he would never quite obtain: racial transcendence, both on and off the field. To be seen not as black, but simply as O.J."

It's true that Simpson was not interested in mixing in racial controversy. When Ali decided to not accept his draft position into the Vietnam war, he was backed by other prominent black athletes at what is known as the "Ali Summit." Bill Russell, Jim Brown and Lew Alcindor, who has since changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabar, sat next to Ali as he explained why he was taking a stand against the draft and the war in Vietnam. Simpson was also a prominent black athlete at the time but was notably not in attendance. According to Nate Peterson of CBSSports, "Simpson was approached by activist Dr. Harry Edwards, who urged him to stand with his fellow black athletes. But Edwards says Simpson didn't see himself as a black athlete, telling Edwards: 'I'm not black, I'm O.J.'"

This is where Jay-Z makes Simpson the punching bag of his song. The chorus of the song reads:

Light n*gga, dark n*gga, faux n*gga, real n*ggaRich n*gga, poor n*gga, house n*gga, field n*ggaStill n*gga, still n*gga

In essence, Jay-Z is calling out O.J. for not remembering his roots after his rise to fame; no matter what type of social status you obtain, you still have an obligation to fight against the oppression of those not as fortunate as you. In the footnotes special of the song, Jay said, "We tend to, as black people—‘cause we never had anything, which is understandable—we get to a place and we just think we separate ourself from the culture. You know, like where O.J. will get to a space where he’s like, 'I’m not black, I’m O.J.' … It’s gonna take for the way-showers to do it and then not get to that point and then turn into like, 'I ain’t black, I’m O.J.'" Simpson is essentially the poster boy for those that think they rose above the culture, in Jay-Z's eyes.

Jay-Z's insistence on those that have a platform to keep their eyes and ears open on social issues shows tremendously in the video. As we watch, the first thing that pops out is the Disney based mock-ups of the all the characters in the video.

Disney has a long history of incredibly distasteful and racist cartoons that date back to the 1930s. In many of the cartoons, the black characters were disproportional or made to look more like animals than humans. African-American character's roles would be embarrassing and inferior to their white counterparts.

The way that Jay and his team put all the characters to resemble the way Disney used to portrait African-Americans is a clear symbolism to racism in America. Hope Schreiber of Complex wrote a great summary of Disney's racist past in 2014 that is worth visiting.

A hidden gem in the opening scene comes at the 20-second mark. The theatre is headlined "Burlesque," which is a noun meaning a show that will often involve a striptease. That said, burlesque also means an absurd or comically exaggerated imitation of something. In this case, that something that Jay-Z is talking about is Disney's absurd imitation of stereotypes that are thrown upon African-Americans. Jay could also be using burlesque to describe Donald Trump rallies that often are attended by racists that imitate those in the video. Early triple entendre from Jay!

Jump ahead to 1:10 in the video to see a chilling image of Jay's character "Jaybo" sitting in the colored section of a public bus calmly saying "still n*gga... still n*gga" after walking the Brooklyn Bridge.

At 2:15, an interesting scene arrives. Rows of black cotton pickers are clear, but in the distance, a cross can be seen set on fire, looking over those picking cotton. The burning cross is up for all sorts of interpretation. Is Jay referring to Jesus or even God losing faith in the humanity that He created? Or is the word of love that Jesus spreading going up in flames?

In the next scene, loads of cotton are being run through a cotton gin, just for the gin to spit out Ku Klux Klan members. But as one of the members takes their hat off, Jaybo appears underneath, saying, "still n*gga... still n*gga." This moment in the video is immensely important, and also has ties to the O.J. Simpson beef. For one, it's clear that Jay is telling us, even if you're black and in the KKK, you're still black. It is an example of what Jay-Z said earlier about O.J. and those that try to separate themselves from the culture. He could also be referring to the 1966 film "The Black Klansman" that revolves around a black man's daughter being killed by the KKK, so he attempts to join the cult and destroy it from the inside. There is also an argument to be made that he is referring to Daryl Davis, who succeeded in getting 200 KKK members to quit the Klan after he simply befriended them. Either of the three ways, this scene in the video is the perfect storm for what Jay is trying to show, not tell.

A minute or so later, Jaybo is on a slave ship and rapping about newfound financial responsibilities that young black men face. While the lyrics are dropping, the scene shows Jaybo walking through the ship, with the slaves looking up to Jaybo with excitement and hope. It is obvious they see him as a hero, a man that is freely walking around the ship. It is also an obvious connection with reality. In the verse, Jay preaches the importance of financial intelligence and independence, while in the video, young slaves (which "slaves" of today would be those that let the system beat them down) are emphatically encouraged. Jay sets the lyrics and video to fit in this way, which is pure genius after you dig deep enough.

When the slaves get off the ship at 3:31 in the video, their mood changes dramatically after they see slaves lining up for an auction. The next cutscene shows the slaves that came off the boat at an auction, which plays right into Jay-Z's idea of financial independence and prosperity that African-Americans have to strive for. Although the slaves saw Jaybo walking free on the boat, he can't help them free themselves. They have to break the chain and become financially free as well.

After the chorus plays one more time, the next scene shows Jaybo hanging from a noose. He suddenly looks up and says, "still n*gga... still n*gga." The scene sums up the song incredibly. Although Jaybo was free on the boat and prospering in life, he still was hung because he's "still n*gga." (Also, if you pause the video, you can see a kid at the bottom right corner of the screen smiling at the camera during the hanging, which is downright chilling.)

Jay-Z has been a music icon for two decades, and it shows in this music video. Using a controversial character like O.J. Simpson to explain the importance of financial responsibility and paying homage to the culture, while using visuals to represent those ideals is marvelous in 'The Story of O.J." It's a deep dive, but sometimes you have to dive deep to find treasure.