Beyoncé and JAY-Z Album reviews

During the London stop of their On the Run II tour, Beyoncé and JAY-Z took the mic to surprise their audience: “We want you guys to be the first to experience this new project.” After premiering the new “APESHIT” visual to the crowd, they released their collaborative album, Everything Is Love, to the rest of the world without warning. In the “APESHIT” clip, the couple gallivant in an empty Louvre, as dancers come dangerously close to touching the priceless artworks. A black couple, captured with the same stark intimacy as a Deana Lawson photograph, fix each other’s hair in front of the Mona Lisa. Jay and Bey pose with treasured Egyptian ruins, the revered Greek statue of the goddess of victory Nike, and Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic work, and it’s clear what they’re trying to say: their work—and their love—are worthy to be placed within the very white, colonialist canon of art history.




Everything Is Love—plus another standalone track called “SALUD!”—is Beyoncé and Jay’s testament to forgiveness and reconciliation. Featuring contributions from Migos’ Quavo and Offset, Ty Dolla $ign—as well as production from Pharrell, Cool & Dre, TV on the Radio’s Dave Sistek, among others—the nine-track project, credited to the Carters, is the couple’s ode to their daughter, Blue Ivy, and their combined wealth. Here’s a few things to know going in.