Release Date: October 30th 2009 (Vevo)
Ownership: Roc Nation
This video, filmed in New York due to the heavy referencing throughout the song, was made famous due to people taking an interest because of the collaboration between two of the biggest names in R&B. The video is owned by Jay-Z's own record label, Roc Nation, so it's clear he had full control over what he would like to include in this promo. The video is mainly filmed in black and white to enhance the many aerial shots of New York. Despite this, there are many coloured shots featuring Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, which could reflect their power due to the fact they can change the theme of the music video. Presenting the artists as powerful is a common feature in many music videos.
Mostly still shots are used to produce a slide show format, almost as if it is advertising the city and displaying landmarks. Establishing shots are also present to once again stick to the theme of the city, showing a clear relationship between the lyrics and the song. Jay Z came out with an alternative version online which features more of the features of a stereotypical R&B video, including the use of super models to enhance his rapper image further, yet still entice a newer, more wider audience to the song.
However, this video is much more family friendly and shows a piano in a popular New York location being played, and again, making the artists seem successful to be able to play in such a destination. The black and white effect creates an old fashioned feel and gives the impression that New York is timeless. The video was marked groundbreaking due to it's highly anticipated collaboration between the two artists and also to its unusual presentation. The target audience would be R&B/popular music fans between 12 and 40. Men and women are also represented as equal due to pair singing/rapping in the centre of the city.
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