New(ish) videos from some of the genre's biggest names yeah.
Sizzla & Diana Rutherford - New Day [Tiger Records]
Going first this week is this very bubbly new release from Sizzla and Diana Rutherford ‘New Day’, from Achis Reggae favourite Sherkhan’s Tiger Records (and it’s now available on a digital single, so help yourself). The video for this song, although very straight forward, is pretty good actually. The two directions I would have gone in for making the video (and I would have to improve just to be a novice in such a thing), would be to either make something completely outlandish CGI style or to do exactly what they did and just show a colourful video with people just having a great time, showing off the coming “new day dawning”. The video isn’t completely sans pizzazz either with Rutherford apparently working the green screen a bit and the added linguistic ‘boosts’ here and there, which are both nice touches. All in all, very well done (and I’ll go ahead and say it because I KNOW you’re thinking it, Diana Rutherford . . . With the hood over the head . . . Yeah . . .).
Video Rated - 4.25/5
Video/Song Link - 4.25/5
Gyptian - Hold Yuh [Directed by RXTA]
Outside of just going to the level of making pure pornography, I think that this is the best way anyone could have gone with this tune which is quickly becoming a HUGE international hit apparently (and I wouldn’t at all be surprised if the VP album holding both it and the tune I’ll tell you about next kind of jumps in quickly to capitalize on the tune’s appeal). The video for Gyptian’s ‘Hold Yuh’ is a pretty nice and colourful venture as well (the physical eye candy isn’t bad either) despite not being VERY strong, it just kind of is there in a sense. But unlike most tunes on this list (with the possible exception of the final one), it doesn’t really matter what they did for a video here. I don’t think it’s going to get a big time reception in terms of the ‘mainstream’ (oh I don’t know why, maybe something to do with the lyrics) (just a guess), but it’s already well on its way to being a TRULY big hit, with or without the video.
Video Rated - 3.25/5
Video/Song Link - 4/5
Gyptian - Mama Bawl [Directed by RXTA]
Forgive me, I’m a nerd - I remember this tune was released digitally last year by its producers Donsome Records and the digital cover for the piece was the same cover VP Records used for Gyptian’s last album I Can Feel Your Pain, with ‘Mama Bawl’ conspicuously (and Crayola-like) just kind of scribbled in on it (with the actual album‘s name still on the album, but just kind of blurred out) (apparently Google was just fucking broke that day or something)! Well apparently VP took an interest in the tune (more than just wondering why someone was using their cover and incidentally it’s STILL like that, although I’m sure they’re not minding much these days) and they’ve picked it up and it’ll probably be on Gyptian’s forthcoming album as well. I kind of think that it was this tune which was originally going to receive the big support and this video is VERY good, just like the tune. There’re several instances of very powerful imagery (one sticking out is when the child is shot and also when Gyptian is standing on the wall with his friends who disappear one-by-one) throughout the video, which are exceptionally poignant. Have to say that I’m not the biggest Gyptian fan in the world, but this new album, whenever it reaches, I’m definitely going to take a strong interest in it.
Video Rated - 4.5/5
Video/Song Link - 5/5
Richie Spice - Trouble In the World [Directed by VJ Elite]
Speaking of albums, I haven’t liked very much either of Richie Spice’s last two releases, but that certainly isn’t to say that I haven’t been enjoying his releases over that same time (it just seems like when an album reaches, something strange happens to the vibes), because I have. For example, there’s this MIGHTY piece ‘Trouble In The World’ from Master One’s just as MIGHTY First Born Riddim (review coming next week) (probably) which becomes Spice’s latest video (his first since the combination with Alison Hinds I believe, ‘King & Queen’ which was RIDICULOUS) and it’s one of his best I’d say. This video’s main highlight is all of the wonderful imagery - some poignant, some just very visually stimulating. In the process it also gives a visual alternative to ’trouble in the world’, by showing the beautiful scenes and the happy children, which ultimately saves it from being TOTALLY depressing and I also like the usage of the black and white and monotonic scenes - Showing exactly what happens when big tune meets big video.
Video Rated - 4.5/5
Video/Song Link - 4.75/5
Tarrus Riley - Life of A Gun [Directed by Gareth ‘The Truth‘ Cobran]
And I saved the best for last. Tell me this thing isn’t WONDERFUL! The latest single from Tarrus Riley’s big album from 2009, Contagious, ‘Life Of A Gun' births a video which just may be the best I’ve seen in the first quarter of 2010. You have to love the contrast of Riley vs. Riley, the good and the bad and of course the few nice cameos as well. This song so wonderfully sets itself up for a video exactly like this with the kind of ‘dueling’ nature of the actual tune itself and the realization of the video is just as good as you could’ve imagined. The video helps to carry a vibes set by a downright DOMINANT album which continues to run well into the new year and probably beyond. BIG VIDEO.
Video Rated - 5/5
Video/Song Link - 5/5
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