One minor but ubiquitous consequence of the global disruption caused by the coronavirus has been the emergence of a quarantine aesthetic for celebrities reaching out through their phones and computers — trapped in a box, dull backdrop, glitchy connection, only able to emote through a narrow portal.
Unless, that is, you’re a rapper making a new music video. A few have already been released that explicitly reference the confinement and disinfecting that have become the new normal. While stars in other genres emphasize their isolation and play down the advantages of their fame, in hip-hop, the pandemic has merely engendered new ways to flex.
DaBaby featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again, ‘Jump’
What happens? A lighthearted romp in which the two rapscallionish rappers perform while a team of workers in biohazard suits cleans the kitchen and pool behind them.
Socially distanced? Not so much. There’s rarely six feet between the rappers, and when DaBaby frolics in bed with a woman, his surgical mask likely won’t offer sufficient protection.
Ideas from The Times on what to read, cook, watch, play and listen to while staying safe At Home.
Disinfected? The workers use Swiffers and dusters, and DaBaby accepts some dollops of hand sanitizer. But later, he wields twin spray cans of Pledge, which, sadly, does not kill viruses.
French Montana, ‘That’s a Fact’
What happens? Very little, but most crucially, French Montana dances and dances and dances some more in front of a private jet wearing a full Hazmat suit and an actual gas mask. (Perhaps the N95 was too obvious.)
Socially distanced? There mostly aren’t others around beyond French and his protégé, Mr. Swipey — Swipey doesn’t wear a mask, while French sometimes dons one bearing the logo of his Coke Boys crew. When French’s security guard arrives, he’s wisely wearing a surgical mask.
Disinfected? French and Swipey are playing a cleaning crew, and they mix up curiously colorful chemicals — searching for an Ajax/Fabuloso vaccine, perhaps.
Rich Brian featuring Guapdad 4000, ‘Bali’
What happens? Rich Brian and Guapdad 4000 send gifts by drone to their friends across Los Angeles — condoms for the singer Cuco, Pizza Hut pizza for Lil Yachty, hair products for the YouTuber Noel Miller, “Rick and Morty” gear for Buddy, and so on. Everyone sends back cash to pay for meals for health care workers, mask production and direct donations to others who need a nongovernmental stimulus.
Socially distanced? Extremely. No two artists appear in the same scene. Much of the video follows the drone as it sails across the clear sky, the only safe place.
Disinfected? Rich Brian gives the drone a full wipe-down in between each trip. Most of his famous co-stars avoid gloves, but all the people who receive donations at the end of the clip wisely wear them.
The pandemic has been referenced in a handful of other videos via small gestures: In the video for “The Last Sad Song,” the Florida sing-rapper Rod Wave slips on a surgical mask, and in the latest Lil Wayne clip, which mostly contains footage of him skateboarding moderately well, the interlude is a public service announcement urging viewers to stay inside “… AND THRASH.”
But perhaps the most curious music-industry artifacts of the coronavirus era are the documents of irresponsibility, the social media clips of rappers filming videos without practicing social distancing. The hip-hop jester Blueface recently shot a music video at his home in Los Angeles, and posted on his Instagram story a series of clips of several bikini-clad models getting into a physical tussle. Around 10 people were in his house, and the only time masks were worn was when the models were twerking for the camera, their masks and swimsuits a matching blue.
And last month, Casanova — whose catchphrase is “We outside” — filmed himself on a Brooklyn video shoot telling the camera, “We all test positive for corona,” followed by a mock cough. His mother came by to chastise him, and the police arrived to shut it all down. A couple of days later, Casanova had a change of perspective, apologizing to his family, his friends and the police on his Instagram, and announcing, “WE INSIDE.”
Source: Music - nytimes.com
