Words by Tené Young
Brooklyn-raised, Jamaican MC Jah Banks is back with a new video for his standout track “Hot This Year (Battle for The Middle of You)” from his Jah Makin Music mixtape. The remix to Julio Bashmore’s acclaimed hit, “Battle for The Middle of You,” Banks maintains the original’s house sound while offering a more dancehall, hip-hop spin of the tune that’s sure to fill up the dance floors this summer. With the title “Hot This Year,” he’s also paying homage to the original Dirtsman classic by the same name.
Directed by ClarkkCrilla, the intro of the video includes various clips of hot weather forecasts including the iconic Brooklyn homage of Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing. The video features Banks around popular areas of Brooklyn rapping his bold proclamation of “BK, we coming in hot dis year.” The play on colors and animation make the video fun to watch and follow. If you watch closely, you’ll even catch a Jean-Michel Basquiat crown floating around.
Banks proudly represents his hometown and gives fair warning to others lurking on the horizon. Brooklyn is known for producing some of the greatest rappers in history so it comes as no surprise that Banks is showing love to the place that raised him.
Watch the video below and let us know what you think in the comments.