Saturday, September 04, 2010

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Disturbing imagry causes Problems
Source: Rolling Stone
Author: Staff

Seems Jay-Z and MTV has a lil battle going.

"I feel like Madonna," says Jay-Z of what he calls his "battle" with MTV over the disturbing imagery in his superb new video for "99 Problems," from his Black Album.

Made by director Mark Romanek -- responsible for Johnny Cash's 2003 "Hurt" clip -- "99 Problems" contains gritty black-and-white images of Jay-Z returning to his childhood home in Brooklyn's Marcy projects, street fights and, ultimately, his own fictionalized murder.

"One of my ideas was the cliche, like in Godfather, of somebody being riddled with bullets in slow motion," says Romanek. The director says Jay-Z didn't like the idea at first "but became enamored with what it meant symbolically."

MTV asked Romanek to edit about ten scenes, but he agreed only to blur certain images. MTV is airing the clip after 6 p.m.

"We're not interested in what MTV likes or doesn't like," he says. "If you make something good enough, MTV will want to show it."

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