Since it be Christmases
I’ve always had a gift of steal
If they had some gifts to steal
The angelic grinch of Dill
I finesse to live
I have to get to give
Praying for the sympathy I forget to give
These are not scratched lyrics from a verse on Kendrick Lamar‘s The Art of Peer Pressure – although in an alternate universe they could have been – nor are they lines from your local slam poet’s open mic. Did I just shamelessly compare Kenny Mason to Kendrick Lamar? Maybe.
The point is, they are lines that preface the new music video from Atlanta rapper Brico Fleur signee Kenny Mason. The camera opens on our hero in an Atlanta Braves baseball jersey, red shorts, white socks and white sneakers jumping into an old school Mercedes Benz convertible with three of his friends. Off camera, dogs are barking like hell while Kenny Mason‘s voice, pitched up and down at will, delivers the soliloquy above. Him and his three friends ride around in the car having the time of their lives.
Daniel Novello, Sakura, and Sean Fontaine, artists signed to the label Brico Fleur, make appearances in the video as well. The label’s name comes from a combination of two French words: bricoleur, one who creates using whatever materials, and fleur, flower.
The video is perhaps the sweetest intersection of city street cultures and hip indie sensibilities I’ve seen this year. Through all the scamming-centered lyricism, there is a glint – no, a gleam – of knowing in Kenny Mason‘s eyes. Knowing that the ends isn’t always the means. The video was shot in Capitol View, an in-town Atlanta neighborhood 2.5 miles from downtown Atlanta, Georgia that was named for its excellent view of the Georgia State Capitol building. Its boundaries include Metropolitan Parkway to the east, Lee Street to the west, and the Atlanta BeltLine – 22 miles of unused railroad tracks circling the core of the city’s in-town neighborhoods – to the north. Streets like Desoto Avenue, Erin Avenue and Allene avenue are screen-checked in the video. Dill Avenue is mentioned by name in the song.
“HIT” feels like an arrival, and while my anticipation for the artist’s next release has grown with “HIT”, I still have no idea what to expect next from Kenny Mason. Something tells me he prefers it that way.
Director: Nasser Boulaich
Producer: Aditya Pamidi
1st AC: Benji Flores
Production Coordinator: Noah Zark
PA: Jordan Li / DvDx
Scout: Vonta Worldwide
Colorist: Patrick Samaniego
Editor: Nasser Boulaich
–
Follow Kenny Mason