What’s Jay-Z up to these days? As fans of the legendary rapper know all too well, it’s been quite a few years since he’s put out a new album, but he has more recently been doing a lot more work in the world of Hollywood as a producer. Jay-Z’s latest producing effort is Jeymes Samuel’s The Book of Clarence, and CinemaBlend spoke to the film’s lead, LaKeith Stanfield, about working with the “Run This Town” icon.
Jay-Z finds himself behind the production of The Book of Clarence following the rapper previously working on 2021’s The Harder They Fall alongside Jeymes Samuel and LaKeith Stanfield. Here’s what Stanfield had to say about his collaboration with Jay-Z on one of the upcoming 2024 movies set to hit theaters this weekend:
I ran into him a few times and it is dope. Now he's kind of like a mystical creature. Like, when you see him, like this magical creature with dreads that you kind of see and it's really dope to watch him grow even just in the way that he looks and the way that he feels in the space. And his regal essence is like super cool to be around. And I think with this film brewing, it just felt like with his engine behind us, it felt like we were moving in a really appropriate direction. He's been really open during the film process and, just the liberties that we've been able to have with him on the music side, but also on the production side, it has been a gift that keeps giving. So, I'm really glad, man. It's a beautiful thing. When you get a call from Jay-Z it's a very nice, fun thing.
After LaKeith Stanfield was part of The Harder They Fall cast as American outlaw/cowboy Cherokee Bill, the actor has continued work with both Samuel and Jay-Z on the biblical epic that is The Book of Clarence. The comedy has Stanfield playing the titular Clarence, who is an outlaw in his own right in terms of owing a lot of money and deciding to con a community into believing he’s a new Messiah as Jesus Christ’s popularity blooms in Jerusalem in 33 A.D.
Stanfield recalls his run-ins with Jay-Z as being in a “regal” and “mystical” presence, and he shares a lot of respect and gratitude for what the rapper provided the production with behind the scenes. On the other hand, Jay-Z is very much still a mystery to Stanfield’s co-star RJ Cyler, who plays his best friend Elijah in the new release. In Cyler’s words:
He's Jay-Z so he's probably building a rocket, but he's a multifaceted person so he can do 17 things at one time, and that's just before his morning coffee. So, um, the time that we did get is mostly in the promo season and stuff of course, but I know I can't speak for you guys, but me personally, right? Yeah. We just get to kind of vibe when, you know, we promote or kind of when we have downtime. Yeah. 'cause when we working, we working, to be honest.
Between The Book of Clarence’s booming soundtrack and bold swings, it certainly feels like the movie is right up Jay-Z’s alley, even if what he specifically brought to the production remains rather underwraps. As the movie hits theaters this weekend, critics are saying positive things about the movie overall, including CinemaBlend’s own The Book of Clarence review, where Mike Reyes gave the movie 3.5 out of 5 stars. He said “All the viewer needs is an open mind and a taste for the cinematic flare that mixes old fashioned with contemporary.”
While Jay-Z’s own life may be shrouded in mystery, you can enjoy his latest producing effort only in theaters starting January 12.
