"Picasso Baby" is a song by American hip hop artist Jay-Z from his twelfth studio album Magna Carta... Holy Grail.
In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Jay-Z stated that "Picasso Baby" "built the sound of" Magna Carta... Holy Grail and Timbaland ended up handling most of the production on the album.
[3] The music video for the song, titled "Picasso Baby: A Performance Art Film" was shot on July 10, 2013, at the Pace Gallery in New York City.
The shoot was attended by director Judd Apatow, rapper Wale, Performa Director and Chief Curator RoseLee Goldberg, as well as artists Laurie Simmons, Rashid Johnson, Jerry Saltz, Marilyn Minter, Fred Wilson, Jacolby Satterwhite, Glenn O'Brien, Andres Serrano, Lawrence Weiner, and Marina Abramović herself, among many other "important figures from the gallery and sales side of fine art.
She claimed Jay Z never fulfilled his promise to make a donation to the Marina Abramović Institute in return of her grant to use "The Artist is Present" concept and her own appearance in the video.
[6][7][8] Rolling Stone ranked "Picasso Baby" at number 19, on their list of the 100 Best Songs of 2013, calling it "the standout track from Jay Z's lackluster Magna Carta... Holy Grail".