French producer James BKS goes on an animated, Afrofuturistic adventure in his colorfully cartooned “New Breed” video, bringing along international music stars Q-Tip, Idris Elba, and Little Simz for the ride. In the clever, Stevie Gee and Essy May-directed, Blink Ink-produced video, animated versions of the three rappers traverse a trippy cityscape while performing their respective verses before being picked up in a music-powered flying saucer piloted by BKS and zooming off into an uncertain but bright, intergalactic future.
Animated music videos are always fun, but here the vibrance of the animation is enhanced by the equal vibrance of the music, which borrows heavily from the producer’s African roots. Each of the three rappers also has a firm grounding in Pan-African traditions, so their verses are full of self-determining affirmations of their heritage and their independent mindset. James explained the themes behind the song and its video in a press release, saying:
“Little Simz, Idris Elba, Q-Tip and me strongly and proudly represent the New Breed movement, a different way to approach music with no borders, no judgment, no labels. We have learned from our past mistakes and victories and our eyes are on Africa, while in the meantime we embrace our own personal paths, respectively in the UK for Little Simz and Idris Elba, in the US for Q-Tip and in France for me”.
James BKS is a Warner Music artist. .
