I concede. It’s midnight, Friday morning and I officially missed any claim to this being a “mid-week” round-up, but alas here it is. The latest music videos from some of your Asian-American artists can be found in this batch, and if you’re a rap fan than this group is extra special for you. Everything is Hip-hop oriented save for an entry from Joseph Vincent. But it’s the classic rap stylings of Trus Real that I found to subjectively be my favorite of the group, and that’s why it’s our Video of the Week.
[VOTW] Trus Real – “Day by Day”
Are you a Hip-Hop fan? Well you’ve probably seen a hundred videos like this one over the years. The struggling but hustlin’ artist that pays his dues, fighting to support and love their family, waiting for that big break. It’s cliched as hell but you know what? I always have a soft spot in my heart for this type of joint, provided it’s done well. Trus’ flows are on point, as they nearly always are, and the soulful production is a throwback to the days before trap took over. Yea, it’s nothing haven’t seen before but at the end of the day it’s a good record with a decently shot video – so I guess you could say I’m a fan.
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Shogunna – “G.I.F.T. Low”
This is pretty much the definition of a mixed review. The video was sharp, with dramatic lighting but it lacked that extra little something to grab your attention. Although it was cool to see Sho, his crew, and possibly his fam (whose kid was that?) represent. Song wise is a more favorable review, as Lo Def provided some strong, bassy production that suited Sho’s aggressive style well.
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Parlay Pa$$ – “2B1W”
The artist formerly known as Passda is going through more aliases than an identity thief… but alas Parlay Pa$$ seems to be the latest name and debuts with his latest song and video. Those who follow my critiques regularly probably know how I’m going to break with this release – it ain’t for me. Even on a technical level, the execution is middling at best. Song mix is fine but uninspired and the video has poor lighting and typical set pieces. I miss when the Yellow Boyz were just a bunch of goofy kids who loved to rap.
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Pryde – “Nuff Said”
Remember when Pryde was just a kid with a webcam and windows movie maker? Seeing him rock out with neck tats and facial hair is an interesting testament to how he’s grown over the years. His sound has gone in a couple more experimental directions as of late, but this one is more akin to the classic aggressive Prizzy flows of days past. That 8-bit loop carries the beat perfectly and I respect the one-take-ish style used for the video, even if it wasn’t too inventive. No matter because I’m still getting more hyped for the release of the next album, come March 25th.
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Joseph Vincent – “Stardust”
OK, let’s call a spade a spade and admit this is just a glorified lyric video with a crude cookie cutter effect to get the star backdrop in there. That being said, let’s focus on the song – which finds Joseph Vincent returning to some of his unplugged singer/songwriter roots as opposed to the more produced singles that he usually drops (in regards to original content). I’m feeling it, and I can only hope we have more original tunes on the way in the near future.
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Paul J. Kim – “Searching”
It took me a couple listens/viewings for me to decide how I feel about this song and video and in the end I’ll say I liked it but didn’t love it. Song wise, the message of Hope and greater Love is something I can always support and it’s a decent listen though it comes off a bit dated. It’s very CCM Pop, and for those that follow that genre you probably know what I mean by that. As for the video, PJK and company tried to do some interesting things with the transitions and the wall art/graffiti throughout, but it wasn’t done quite as cleanly or impressively as I imagined they hoped it would.
a-Tunes 