For anyone who’s grown up in places without a robust public transit system — and even plenty of people who have access to such — having a car is a big deal. It means the freedom to go where you want, when you want. There are, of course, limitations to that, especially for young folks. And sometimes when you get where you think you want to be, it’s not necessarily all you had hoped for.
In the track “Ride” from his new album Metropolis, stellar MC and producer Namir Blade grapples eloquently with all of these ideas that are bound up in and radiate out from the experience of having a car. Over a bouncy beat built on top of a melancholy guitar figure, he raps: “Maybe it love you one day / Maybe it crush your soul / Till then, just hop up in this hoopty, hit the gas, and go.”
Blade and the Aperture Visuals crew brought along a slew of local folks to create a bittersweet video for the song. At the top, Blade and his Six One Tribe compatriot and fellow outstanding rapper Gee Slab are hanging out at the garage, getting a tricked-out Z car all ready for a night out. You can practically smell the nostalgic aroma of Armor All and blunt smoke. As the song unfolds, the scene changes to a hangout that, unless I miss my guess, was filmed down at the soon-to-be-revamped Hickory Hollow Mall.
Check that out above, and find Metropolis on your favorite streaming service or in your choice of physical formats via this handy link.
