Also, I love how the 'conspiracy theory is about projecting pre-existing beliefs then looking for evidence to confirm them'. Rubbish! Jay Z's own material is loaded with Masonic references. Some may say 'ah, he's doing it for controversy', which I might buy into. But to suggest there is no evidence linking Jay Z to the occult is to deny Jay Z's own words,
"Illuminati want my mind, soul and my body...secret society tryin' to keep their eye on me" (lyrics from his song D'Evils).
The following text taken from
http://www.vibe.com/posts/v-exclusive-%E2%80%9C-next-one%E2%80%9D-director-sets-record-straight
I first heard the rumor of Jay-Z aligning himself with Masons / the occult / the illuminati / devil worshippers in 2007, and like most people I dismissed it as nonsense. Three years later in 2010.... I still dismiss it as nonsense but the legend of Jay-Z being a mason has grown exponentially over the years and it's only getting stronger.
Websites and blogs across the net are popping up and feeding the speculation, and each time Jay-Z comes out with a new music video there are eager conspiracy theorists analyzing the clip looking for signs. Jay's latest video for "On To The Next One" caused a bit of a stir due to select imagery, and the the director has spoken to Vibe Magazine in hopes of clearing up confusion.
Vibe: There's been a lot of talk about Jay's video containing Freemason imagery such as the horned animal head, an eagle and skull. What are your thoughts about such talk and why do you think music fans are so quick to believe a conspiracy narrative?
Sam Brown: I'm aware of the stir the video has caused and what people are saying. I think when you're dealing in abstract imagery people are going to want to draw lines between things and make sense of it. However, I've always felt that the viewing public was, in general, extremely visually literate. They don't always want or need things to be spelt out for them. One of the great things about music videos are they can be enjoyed purely visually-it doesn't need to mean anything or make any sense. Conspiracy theory is another thing entirely, and seems to me to be about projecting pre-existing beliefs and desperately looking for things that confirm them. There is imagery in this video that is drawn from all over the place. None of it is owned by any one culture or belief system. You can connect anything if you try hard enough, and make it mean anything you want it to.
So what was the overall direction Jay was looking for?
He gave me a very loose brief, and made it clear that we should be progressive with the video. All the imagery was thought up by me and was a response to the track itself. For those interested, the idea is actually about a funeral for old imagery and ideas, hence all the gothic and oppressive stuff. I was also trying to contradict the excess of hip-hop videos by making something brutally simple and claustrophobic.
Related info:
Vigilant Citizen articles on Jay Z
"I hate when medias deform and compress my words into gross statements such as "Jay-Z Worships the Devil".Its about the forces behind artists"
"My opinion....I dont really think Jay-Z is part of Illuminati...I think he is USED and helped by Illuminati. Im happy its discussed tho"
"It's not a witchhunt,its about the bigger picture of [the] biz"
- all quotes from Vigilant Citizen (twitter)
Prodigy says Jay Z sides with the 'Evil Illuminati'
Jay Z says 'Do What Thou Wilt'; the Ordo Templi Orientis say 'Do What Thou Wilt'. Like the Masons say, 'as above, so below'... 
-Question Your Reality-
It's not just about one music artist or even the whole corporate music industry. It poses much broader questions about society, the way people live, how people are manipulated on a mass scale...
The O.T.O. and Masonry are two different fraternity's you fucking idiots. And Everybody talks about the scottish rite freemasonry and the 33rd degree but how about the York Rite where you have to profess your belief in Christ before receiving the last degree. look it up research facts people not bullshit
ReplyDeleteP.S. Scottish Rite and York Rike are degrees you pursue on your on free will and receiving THE highest degree Master Mason (3rd Degree)
I think someone needs to do less trolling and more googling "Hollie Greig" especially the Masonic connections there and the Masonic school shooting at Dunblaine.
ReplyDeleteOf course OTO and Masonry aren't the same thing, but there's a common theme between them.
I'm not a Christian so just because someone expresses a belief in Christ doesn't really affect my perception of them. The Pope supposedly represents Christ too, but I think he's a Nazi.
It seems you are a good Mason, but come on, do you really know all there is to know about your superiors? Did Albert Pike not say that even the true meanings of the *symbols* must be kept from low level Masons? (let alone any other secrets that must be concealed)
"THE highest degree Master Mason (3rd Degree)"
Are you taking the piss? I think you're just not sinister enough to rise beyond that. Try acting really evil and see if you get into the big boys' club ;)