Fade to Black (documentary)
Encyclopedia
Fade to Black is a 2004 documentary
about the career of US
rapper
Jay-Z
. Filmed around the time of The Black Album
, the movie also features many other famous names in hip hop music
. This live concert at Madison Square Garden
was meant to be Jay-Z's final performance, as he announced his intentions to retire from the industry.
Fade to Black runs through some of the major parts of Jay-Z's Madison Square Garden performance while cutting to Jay-Z and his exploits and showing the viewers where his inspiration comes from.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the career of US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
. Filmed around the time of The Black Album
The Black Album (Jay-Z album)
The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released November 14, 2003, on Roc-A-Fella Records. It was promoted as his final studio album, which serves as a recurring theme, although Jay-Z returned to solo recording with Kingdom Come in 2006.The album debuted at number one...
, the movie also features many other famous names in hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
. This live concert at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
was meant to be Jay-Z's final performance, as he announced his intentions to retire from the industry.
Fade to Black runs through some of the major parts of Jay-Z's Madison Square Garden performance while cutting to Jay-Z and his exploits and showing the viewers where his inspiration comes from.
Cast
- Jay-ZJay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
- Memphis BleekMemphis BleekMalik Thuston Patrick Cox , better known by his rap persona of Memphis Bleek or "Bleek", is a New York rapper mainly known for his tenure with Roc-a-Fella Records and CEO of his own label Get Low Records...
- Mary J. BligeMary J. BligeMary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
- Foxy Brown
- Michael BufferMichael BufferMichael Buffer is an American professional ring announcer for boxing and professional wrestling matches. He is known for his trademarked catchphrase, "Let's get ready to rumble!" He is known for pioneering a distinct announcing style in which he rolls certain letters and adds other inflections to...
- DiddySean CombsSean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
- Common
- Damon DashDamon Dash__NOINDEX__...
- Ghostface KillahGhostface KillahDennis Coles , better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and prominent member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success...
- Just BlazeJust BlazeJustin Smith, better known as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop music producer from Paterson, New Jersey. Blaze is also the CEO of Fort Knocks Entertainment. He is most well known for producing Jay-Z songs on the albums The Blueprint, The Blueprint 2, and The Black Album. He is also known for...
- Missy ElliottMissy ElliottMelissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
- Funkmaster FlexFunkmaster FlexAston George Taylor, Jr. better known as Funkmaster Flex is an American hip hop DJ, rapper, musician and producer on New York City's Hot 97 radio station and host of the hit MTV show Funk Flex Full Throttle....
- FreewayFreeway (rapper)Leslie Edward Pridgen , better known by his stage name Freeway, is an American rapper. Best known for his tenure on Roc-A-Fella Records and his affiliation with Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel, he is recognized by his high-pitched delivery and for the long beard he keeps due to his Muslim faith...
- R. KellyR. KellyRobert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
- BeyoncéBeyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
- Q-TipQ-Tip (rapper)Kamaal Ibn John Fareed , better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American hip hop artist, producer, singer, and actor from St. Albans, Queens, New York, part of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest...
- Rick RubinRick RubinFrederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
- Beanie SigelBeanie SigelDwight Grant , also known as Beanie Sigel, is a American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,most recently he was in talks with 50 Cent to sign with G-Unit Records and is a former member/artist of Dame Dash Music Group and Roc-A-Fella Records where he had formed a close association with rappers...
- Slick RickSlick RickRichard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...
- Questlove
- TimbalandTimbalandTimothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
- TwistaTwistaCarl Terrell Mitchell , better known by his stage name Twista, is an American rapper. He is known for once holding the title of fastest rapper in the world according to Guinness World Records in 1992, being able to pronounce 598 syllables in 55 seconds...
- Kanye WestKanye WestKanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
- Pharrell WilliamsPharrell WilliamsPharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
- UsherUsher (entertainer)Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
- Johnny RolandJohnny RolandJohnny Earl Roland is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the St...
Setlist
- "What More Can I SayWhat More Can I Say"What More Can I Say" is a song from rap artist Jay-Z's studio album The Black Album. It was released as a street single simultaneously as the official single "Change Clothes". It premiered on Hot 97 on October 22, 2003 and was the first track from The Black Album to be heard by the public...
" - "Public Service Announcement"
- "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" (feat. Jaguar WrightJaguar WrightJaguar Wright is a soul/R&B vocalist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is part of the Okayplayer collective. She has performed along rap acts such as The Roots, Jay-Z, and Blackalicious.-Career:...
) - "Knee Deep"
- "Nigga What, Nigga Who"
- "It's Hot"
- "Big Pimpin'Big Pimpin'"Big Pimpin" is the last single from rapper Jay-Z's fourth album Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter. It features rapping by Southern hip hop group UGK as well as production by Timbaland....
" - "Like a Pimp"
- "Dirt Off Your ShoulderDirt off Your Shoulder"Dirt off Your Shoulder" is the second single released from Jay-Z's 2003 album The Black Album.In 2004, the song was combined with the Linkin Park single "Lying from You" and released as a single for the mash-up album Collision Course....
" (recording session footage) - "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)"Hard Knock Life " is a single from rapper Jay-Z's third album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. It samples the song "It's the Hard Knock Life" from the Broadway musical Annie. The song was produced by The 45 King and at the time of its release, was the most commercially successful Jay-Z single. The RIAA...
" - The Notorious B.I.G.The Notorious B.I.G.Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
/ 2Pac tribute ("HypnotizeHypnotize (The Notorious B.I.G. song)"Hypnotize" is the Grammy-nominated hip-hop song recorded by rapper The Notorious B.I.G. It was released as the first single from his album Life After Death in December 13, 1996. It was the fifth song to hit #1 posthumously for a credited artist....
" / "Hail Mary" / "Ambitionz Az a Ridah" / "Mo Money Mo ProblemsMo Money Mo Problems"Mo Money Mo Problems" is a single by Notorious B.I.G., the second single from his album Life After Death. Released posthumously, the single topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in 1997, replacing "I'll Be Missing You" from the chart, Puff Daddy's song about Notorious B.I.G's death...
") - "You Me Him Her" (feat. Beanie SigelBeanie SigelDwight Grant , also known as Beanie Sigel, is a American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,most recently he was in talks with 50 Cent to sign with G-Unit Records and is a former member/artist of Dame Dash Music Group and Roc-A-Fella Records where he had formed a close association with rappers...
and Memphis BleekMemphis BleekMalik Thuston Patrick Cox , better known by his rap persona of Memphis Bleek or "Bleek", is a New York rapper mainly known for his tenure with Roc-a-Fella Records and CEO of his own label Get Low Records...
) - "What We Do" (feat. Beanie Sigel and FreewayFreeway (rapper)Leslie Edward Pridgen , better known by his stage name Freeway, is an American rapper. Best known for his tenure on Roc-A-Fella Records and his affiliation with Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel, he is recognized by his high-pitched delivery and for the long beard he keeps due to his Muslim faith...
) - "Roc the Mic" (performed by Beanie Sigel and Freeway)
- "Is That Yo ChickIs That Yo Chick"Is That Your Chick" is the second single from Memphis Bleek's second album, The Understanding. The single version featured Jay-Z and Missy Elliott. The album version featured a verse from Twista and another verse from Jay-Z. The song was produced by Timbaland and was released in 2000...
" (feat. Missy ElliottMissy ElliottMelissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, TwistaTwistaCarl Terrell Mitchell , better known by his stage name Twista, is an American rapper. He is known for once holding the title of fastest rapper in the world according to Guinness World Records in 1992, being able to pronounce 598 syllables in 55 seconds...
and Memphis Bleek) - "Pop Pop the Burner"
- "99 Problems99 Problems"99 Problems" is the third single released by American rapper Jay-Z in 2004 from The Black Album. Throughout the song Jay-Z tells a story about dealing with a racist cop who wants to illegally search his car, dealing with rap critics, and dealing with an aggressor...
" (recording session footage) - "Crazy in Love" (with BeyoncéBeyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
) - "Baby Boy" (performed by Beyoncé)
- "SummertimeSummertime (Beyoncé Knowles song)"Summertime" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles that features American rap artist P. Diddy. It was composed by Knowles, Angela Beyincé, Sean Combs, Steven "Steven J." Jordan, Adonis Shropshire, Varick "Smitty" Smith, and Mario Winans. The song was later remixed with rapper Ghostface...
" (performed by Beyoncé and Ghostface KillahGhostface KillahDennis Coles , better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and prominent member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success...
) - "December 4th" (recording session footage)
- "Dead Presidents II"
- "Where I'm From"
- "Ain't No NiggaAin't No Nigga"Ain't No Nigga" is the second single from rapper Jay-Z's debut album Reasonable Doubt . It features a long verse of rapping from a then 16-year old Foxy Brown.-Background:...
" (feat. Foxy Brown and Jaguar Wright) - "Funky Worm" (sample only)
- "Lucifer" (recording session footage)
- "Can't Knock the HustleCan't Knock the Hustle"Can't Knock the Hustle" is the third single from rapper Jay-Z's debut album Reasonable Doubt. The song features a beat produced by Knobody, co-produced by Sean C and Dahoud Darien, as well as a chorus sung by Mary J. Blige.-Background:...
" (feat. Mary J. BligeMary J. BligeMary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
) - "Song CrySong Cry"Song Cry" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z and produced by Just Blaze. It was the fourth and final single from his sixth studio album The Blueprint...
" (feat. Mary J. Blige) - "Me & My Bitch"
- "I Need Love"
- "The Best of Both Worlds" (with R. KellyR. KellyRobert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
) - "Take You Home With Me (A.K.A. Body)" (with R. Kelly)
- "Allure"
- "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)"I Just Wanna Love U " is a song by Jay-Z, released as the first single from his 2000 album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. It is produced by The Neptunes and features a chorus sung by Neptunes member Pharrell as well as Shay Haley and Omillio Sparks who all remain uncredited...
" (feat. Pharrell WilliamsPharrell WilliamsPharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
) - "EncoreEncore (Jay-Z song)"Encore" is a song from Jay-Z's The Black Album. "Encore" received much popularity when it was mixed with Linkin Park's hit single "Numb" on the mash-up album Collision Course as "Numb/Encore" and eventually went on to win a Grammy Award.-Background:...
"