After racking my brain for over a week, I was out of ideas and ready to give up. That was when I remembered how my music video for the song “Blk Bloc” released in March of 2018 came about. I filmed a majority of Blk Bloc myself using my phone. That’s exactly what I ended up doing for the I Want Peace video. Actually the entire video was filmed using my old Samsung S6 edge cracked screen and all.
I had a list of ideas of how I wanted the video to be, but seeing I was doing it by myself, and only using a phone, I had to scrap just about every idea I had. I ended up just clearing my mind entirely and just going with the flow. I loaded up my backpack and walked to a nearby school yard. For the next couple fo hours I just filmed a slew of takes. Most of the filming I did on the first day ended up on the cutting room floor so to speak, but there were a small handful of shots I was happy with.
The following days I planned on hitting up another location. I brought my son and his dog along. My son’s mom was on the location for a bit as well so I asked her to film a few shots for me. All the other shots were done using a dji tripod which can also be used as a selfie stick. The spot I ended up choosing to film at was absolutely perfect. It was a sunny day and the graffiti covered walls behind Samsen Kulturhus, a Cultural Center in Kristiansand, Norway just brought it all together. After a couple of hours I felt I had plenty of footage to work with.
I didn’t waste any time. After the day of filming, I proceeded to load up all the footage into Adobe Premiere to begin editing. It took me about a week to edit the video. I was very pleased with the end result. The project was truly a labour of love.
As with most of my projects I always attach a deeper meaning and this video is no different. Aside from the obvious message I am putting forth, “I Want Peace”, this project is a testimonial of what a true independent artist is. It is also a testimonial of what Hip Hop is and always has been. To me Hip Hop in not about big budgets, it’s more about making something from nothing. I can’t count how many times I’ve witnessed artists stress out over securing budgets to make a music video. Sure it would be nice to be able to hire a film crew including a director but it’s not necessary. These days with all the technology we have at our disposal, we can do ourselves what used to be nearly impossible. Hip hop for me is about resilience in the face of all adversity. It is for this same reason I believe using Hip Hop to promote Peace will have a huge impact.
I witnessed Hip Hop change an entire city back in 70’s firsthand. I then witnessed it grow and go on to change the entire country. More amazingly over the years I witnessed it change the entire planet. The fact that I created this video in Norway when I am originally from Brooklyn, New york is a story to tell in and of itself. I created this video with a purpose that goes beyond entertainment. I created it to lift spirits and help bring about social change. Like in its inception Hip Hop still tends to get a bad rap that often overshadows the good it has and still continues to do. It is my hopes that I Want Peace will not only reach multitudes and have them Think Peace, and Teach Peace. But that it will also remind multitudes what true Hip Hop really stands for. Hip Hop was built on the fundamentals of Peace, Unity, Love and Having Fun! May we never forget this fact!
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