You've got to give San Francisco-based rapper A-1 (nee Adam Traore) credit: He knows a good opportunity when he sees one.
In the newly released video for his single "Double Dose," the Mission District native wanders around his neighborhood spitting rhymes while a riot erupts around him. Yeah, shooing a music video in the midst of the San Francisco Giants post-World Series victory celebration turned out to be absolutely inspired.
Directed by Israel Ramos, the video shows many of the briefly ubiquitous features of the now-infamous celebrations--people dancing in the street, copious high-fives, grumpy police officers and so many fires. (Although there's nary a vandalized Muni bus anywhere in sight.)
The song's hazy cloud rap beat and pitch-shifted soul sample hook, combined with the video's generous use of slow motion and color filters, gives the entire proceedings a sense of instant nostalgia. A-1's stream-of-consciousness boasts take on the flavor of too-excited-and-exhausted-to-make-sense braggadocio.
"B*tch I'm happy like I went and took a Xanie," he raps. "Wanna see the planet Earth, and I mean every nook and cranny/But mean time I'm West Coast and like a taco truck/Now put your m*therf*ckin' bottles up!"
This video isn't A-1's first stroke attention-grabbing genius. Last year, he released the "After School Special" mixtape in which he rapped over tracks featuring hooks from the TV shows of his youth. Ever wanted to hear someone spitting over the Pokemon theme song, the music from Reading Rainbow or the funkier-than-you-remember intro from All That?
Yes. The answer to all those questions is yes.