From the category archives:

JB – The Creative Team


Craig McDean (born 1964, England) is a British fashion photographer originally from Middlewich near Manchester, but now based in New York City. McDean originally trained and worked as a car mechanic before studying photography at Mid Cheshire College (OND) and Blackpool & Fylde College of Further & Higher Education (PQE).

McDean began his photographic career in London as a photographer’s assistant to photographer Nick Knight. His early editorial work was featured in magazines such as i-D and The Face, which led to advertising campaign work for clients such as Jil Sander and Calvin Klein, and editorial commissions with Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue.

More recently, McDean has photographed fashion campaigns for clients including Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein, and Estée Lauder.

His editorial spreads are regularly featured in magazines including Vogue (magazine), W, and Another Magazine. Although primarily a fashion photographer, McDean has photographed portraits of celebrities including Madonna, Natalie Portman, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Aniston, Joaquin Phoenix, Hilary Swank, Uma Thurman, Gael García Bernal and Nicole Kidman.

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For Beyoncé’s “Why Don’t You Love Me” video, whose idea was it to dub Beyoncé “B. B. Homemaker”?

(Laughs) As the project developed and progressed, new ideas started to come up. She came up with the name. As I was editing, she was like ‘Let’s do a “Leave It To Beaver” type intro’ and I edited that together. I started looking at all these shows and they all have those voiceovers. I loved in “Leave It To Beaver” [that] they would announce the actress’ names and then at the end they would say ‘The Beaver.’ Then I said, ‘Oh, you should be The Beaver’ and Beyoncé was like ‘No, Melina. I can’t be The Beaver’ (laughs). Then I was like let’s come up with like a cool name, and just off the top of her head she was like “I don’t know, B.B. Homemaker.”

How long did it take to shoot?

We shot for one day and prepped for like two or three weeks. It was just really chill. When we came back from Brazil shooting the other project, she said she was thinking about doing this video for a song she had and it was number one on the dance charts at some point. She said her and Solange wrote it. So it was nice because it all just came together. She really loved the whole Bette Paige idea. That’s where it kind of started. Then Bettie Page turned into Susie Homemaker slash frustrated housewife and we just decided to throw all that together.

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Article Date: Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Article Headline: Rappers Jay-Z, Timbaland Sued Over ‘Big Pimpin’ Melody
Article Source: allhiphop.com

Another song produced by superstar rapper Timbaland is in question, as rap star Jay-Z and the producer have been hit with a lawsuit over the single “Big Pimpin.”

Copyright co-owner Osama Admed Fahmy filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Federal Court, claiming that Timbaland illegally replayed portions of “Big Pimpin” note-for-note, using a melody lifted from the song “Khosara, Khosara” which was written by composer Baligh Hamdi and performed by Egyptian star Abdel-Halim Hafez in 1957.

“Big Pimpin,” which is taken from Jay-Z’s hit album Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter also features Texas rap legends UGK and hit #1 in 1999.

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An MTV report:

It was Jay-Z that alerted Timbaland to Drake’s skills, and Drizzy himself said that when he talks with Hov, the Jiggaman drops wisdom on various subjects. Drake and Jay collaborated for a record called “Light Up” off of the 23-year-old newcomer’s Thank Me Later LP.

“It’s just me and Jay both rapping on it for an extended period of time,” Drake told MTV News on the set of his video for “Over.” “It’s real rap. It’s real rap. I do sing on it, but it’s just on the hook — but it’s rap. It’s great. The perspective, the dynamic on the track — it’s me and Jay’s relationship on the song, basically. When you hear it, people will be like, ‘Oh man.’ That’s how we are — just the two. He definitely has guided me a lot, as far as his words and his advice. We have a real funny rapport. I always enjoy my conversations with Jay. It’s good.”

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Can You Spot Her?


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ake Nava is an English music video, advertising and feature film director. He grew up in Hackney, London, England and attended the University of Westminster before moving to the United States.

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A MTV REPORT:

No slight on Beyoncé’s pipes, but her soaring voice isn’t what makes “Crazy in Love” the song that it is. And nothing against Jay-Z, but his rap alone doesn’t warrant the track getting three nominations for Sunday’s Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year honors.

What makes the first single off Beyoncé’s Dangerously in Love work so well is that it blows.

“It’s the horn hook,” Beyoncé quickly pointed out when asked what made the track so lively and infectious. “It has this go-go feel to it, this old-school feel. I wasn’t sure if people were going to get it.”

The hook, a sample of the Chi-Lites’ 1970 song “Are You My Woman? (Tell Me So),” came courtesy of producer Rich Harrison. And to her credit, Beyoncé was right about some people not getting it, at least at first.

“I remember when I first did the beat,” Harrison said, “I played it for a lot of my buddies, as I normally do, and they couldn’t dig it. But that’s when I knew I had something special,” he laughed. “Sometimes people need to hear the whole record.”

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dannyclinch.com

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Patrick Demarchelier Website

www.demarchelier.net

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