Today whilst performing my morning ritual of rifling through mass amounts of e-mails, mostly junk about male enhancement and 99% off iPads, I came across this gem from San Francisco rapper A-1. I first discovered this witty, thought-provoking MC last year when he was featured in some of Team Backpack’s cypher videos, and have closely followed his work ever since. I was instantly mesmerized by his jocular one-liners paired with truly cerebral commentary on life and human interaction. I alone account for probably 1,000 views of his video “Winning.” So when I received a message this morning with a subject line reading “New video from A-1 Prod. by Flosstradamus,” it’s safe to say I flipped my shit.
Now, if y’all haven’t heard of Flosstradamus yet, they’re two Chicago based producers that are shaping this new “post-trap” genre movement in the industry right now. With a discography only comprised of two EPs, and a third on the way, Flosstradamus has racked up an impressive resume of accolades, including performances at Coachella, Pitchfork, Rothbury, SXSW, Lollapalooza, and an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Recently, they’ve been working with Diplo and Dj Sliink, and in my humble opinion, are one of the most influential artists of 2012 so far.
Below you’ll find the visuals for “Now You Do”, a track featured on A-1’s next mixtape “The Thurl Tape”, due to drop in August 2012. The video is simple, clean, and impactful. The beat samples Lana Del Rey’s hit “Video Games” and is everything we come to expect from Flosstradamus, electronically influenced, hard-hitting trap. When asked about the video and inspiration for the track, A-1 responded, “It’s one of the most basic yet accurate representations of an average city kid’s lifestyle that I can think of…and that’s what we wanted people to see. I wanted to showcase a different style, something that my fans aren’t used to hearing, which is why we chose a trap style beat and a different type of delivery.” The video ends with a spoken word call to action that resonates the following ideas: Think. Hustle. Understand. Really Live. Really Love. We hear you, Adam.
Download: HERE
