If you're a hip-hop fan and you watch one thing from the latest Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, let it be The Times and Life of Shawn Carter, a striking short film in celebration of Jay-Z's coronation.
The Brooklyn rapper - the first in the genre to be inducted in his first year of eligibility - was honored in part with a Questlove-directed black and white short film featuring 40 of Hov's peers, fans, friends and family weaving a poem with his iconic lyrics. Among the faces you'll see in the video are Diddy, Pharrell Williams, Jermaine Dupri, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, DJ Premier, Queen Latifah, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Rashida Jones, Halle Berry, Idris Elba, Samuel L. Jackson, LeBron James, David Letterman, Ed Sheeran, Tyler Perry, Lin-Manuel Miranda - and of course, Jay's family: mother Dr. Gloria Carter, wife Beyoncé and their daughter Blue Ivy.
2021's full induction, recorded at the Hall's headquarters in Cleveland, OH, aired on HBO Saturday, Nov. 20 and is available on HBO Max. The broadcast featured an speech from Dave Chappelle and a moving acceptance from Carter himself.