Fade to Black: Directed by Patrick Paulson, Michael John Warren. With Jay-Z, Fonzworth. This documentary about hip hop artist Jay-Z chronicles the creation of 'The Black Album,' his self-proclaimed swan song, as well as his farewell performance at Madison Square Garden. Directors Patrick Paulson.
Documenting Jay-Z's 'final concert' to a sold-out Madison Square Garden, Fade to Black is an uplifting goodbye to one of rap's true greats, and touching enough to forgive the Who-styled trick the rapper pulled by saying goodbye at the Garden once more after this show. Twenty-plus cameras captured the show in fine style for the most part, the exception being what looks like a stunning concert kick-off but the cameras are in too close to really tell. After that, everything works. While not a groundbreaking maverick like Stop Making Sense, Fade to Black displays a keen sense of composition when it comes to camera work, which is all the more impressive when you consider the breakneck speed of the show and the overflowing guest list. The guest list? It's huge, going from Beyonce all the way down to Freeway with Ghostface, Missy Elliot, Twista, Slick Rick, and just about every rapper who's ever even been to NYC turning up for the tribute/party. The man himself starts off with a little crack in his voice (choked up?) but soon overcomes it and works the crowd like one of the finest showmen in any genre. The end of the show is more triumphant than 'sad to see him go.' That's the amazing thing about Fade to Black. Save a couple heartfelt 'I'll miss the game' moments from Jay-Z, the documentary doesn't beat the viewer over the head with any heavy 'what a loss' moments. Instead, it drops behind-the-scenes, cutaway segments of the making of the man's final full-length, The Black Album, that are exciting and filled with life. Upon its theatrical release, plenty of fans felt the cutaways diminished the impact of the concert, but they add a bittersweet pacing to the film, delaying the inevitable goodbye while flushing out Jay-Z's personality, which could be labeled as 'approachable genius.' His banter about gangsta rap, his gushing about the genius of Rick Rubin, and the amazing sequence showing the creation of the '99 Problems' track would be sorely missed if edited out of the film. Deeper than a mere concert film, Fade to Black is a testament to true genius from a man who took hip-hop all the way to the Garden.
- Summary: Fade to Black chronicles the once-in-a-lifetime concert event of Jay-Z's performance at Madison Square Garden in November 2003. The film is an intimate look at Jay-Z, revealing the multiple Grammy Award winning artist as never before.
- Jay-Z’s legendary ‘Fade to Black’ documentary is finally streaming. Jay-Z the world premiere of concert film Jay-Z 'Fade to Black' in November 2004. CLEVELAND, Ohio – A.
- Nov 06, 2019 JAY-Z‘s concert documentary Fade to Black has finally arrived on his TIDAL streaming service for the first time since its release in 2004.
| Fade to Black | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Patrick Paulson Michael John Warren |
| Produced by | Bob Ezrin Rich Kleiman Justin Wilkes |
| Starring | Jay-Z Beyoncé Knowles |
| Cinematography | Paul Bozymowksi Scott Lochmus Luke McCoubrey Theron 'Tee Smif' Smith |
| Edited by | Jimmy Helton Jonah Moran Ron Pantane Adam Zuckerman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Classics |
Release date | |
Running time | 109 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Fade to Black is a 2004 documentary film about the career of American rapperJay-Z. It 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.[1][2]
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, as well as insights into the making of The Black Album.[1][2]
Cast[edit]
The following musicians are credited with an appearance in the film:[3]
References[edit]
Fade To Black Tab
- ^ abHarrington, Richard (November 5, 2004). 'Jay-Z's 'Fade' Gets an A'. Washington Post. p. 36. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ ab'Fade to Black 2004'. VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever. Gale. 2008. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01 – via HighBeam Research.
- ^'Fade to Black: Full Cast and Credits'. Hollywood.com. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
External links[edit]
- Fade to Black at IMDb
- Fade to Black at Box Office Mojo
- Fade to Black at AllMovie
- Fade to Black at Metacritic
- Jay-Z November 25, 2003 setlist at Madison Square Garden at setlist.fm, an external wiki
