Words by Martei Korley
It is not every day that dancehall is featured up front and undiluted in the commercial space. However, boss deejay Assassin‘s voice dominates so much in this Spike Jonze-directed fashion movie for Kenzo’s new Kenzo World fragrance, that it almost feels like a music video.
Actress and model Margaret Qualley (you may know her from the HBO series, The Leftovers) dances her way through “Mutant Brain”, Assassin’s collaboration with producers Ape Drums and Sam Spiegel, in a very lovely green dress. The only dialogue in this short is a muted speech in a banquet hall. Could be a family gathering, could be corporate — impersonal in any case. Assassin’s lyrics account for the rest, and Qualley goes through an elaborate interpretive modern dance routine directly linked to his cadence. She spins on grand theatre stages, scares a man half to death and shoots bullets out of her fingertips.
Kudos to Kenzo and Spike Jonze: Not your usual fashion house perfume commercial… Assassin! LargeUp, family….
The one-time Ward 21 protégé is back in the dancehall conversation with the uplifting “Can’t…
Hip-hop’s master storyteller returns with a reggae/dancehall-flavored collaboration
Africa's dancehall ambassador on the cultural connections between Ghana and Jamaica.
From Illinois to Kingston, Jamaica, comes a story of fierce determination.
Rhea 'Rheezus' Prendergrast is a young woman from Jamaica, living in New York City, working…
LargeUp is bringing Caribbean sounds to Long Island's North Fork Saturday, July 29.
This website uses cookies.