“The hysteria surrounding Rudolph Valentino’s funeral is one of the earliest cases in which the religious power of entertaining celebrities transformed them into serious deities and will shed some light on the strange cultural brew mixing the sacred and profane.”
Gary Laderman, Sacred Matters, pg. 65
This video gets at the idea made in Gary Laderman’s Sacred Matters about popular culture figures operating like religious dieties, and society’s desire to find ‘likeness’ in their favorite celebrities. Firstly, the hysteria surrounding Jay-Z’s subway ride is similar to that of a crowd forming to see a religious figure, relic, or icon. Why does Jay-Z garner adoration similar to that of religious figures? In a culture that is driven by film, television, media, and music, the people that provide these forms of entertainment achieve an elevated status. Additionally, Jay-Z holds a special place in the hearts of New Yorkers. Being from the Marcy projects in Booklyn, and going on to be a world famous rapper and partial owner of the Brooklyn Nets is a true rags to riches story. This past makes him an inspiration to the citizen of Brooklyn, someone to aspire to be like. Religious figures often serve the same purpose. People wear bracelets that say, “What would Jesus do?” and although this is a more extreme case than that of Jay-Z, both figures act as examples to the thousands of people who look up to them.
Secondly, this video demonstrates people’s desire to find likeness in celebrities. Jay-Z takes the subway just like any other person would. This act brings him down from his elevated status, showing his humanity, and further gaining respect and adoration from the general public. Even if a person was not on the subway that afternoon, they see his act and feel a more personal and intimate connection to a world famous celebrity.
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