Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar take it back to when Top had the red Charger in their nostalgic video for “Wow Freestyle” from Jay Rock’s latest album, Redemption.
The video for “Wow Freestyle” features the mentioned red Dodge Charger, which Jay drives around the South LA streets where he and K. Dot grew up. As expected, quite a few red hats and bandanas make appearances in grainy, VHS shot footage that evokes the ’90s, the heyday of gangsta rap. There’s also a really slick, understated VFX scene (a favorite of TDE video directors) where Jay raps next to a flaming barrel at normal speed while the flames blaze in super slow motion. The effect is repeated when the duo pairs up to trade bars on the playground. The video concludes with a cameo from TDE’s old, cartoony logo, which is worth hanging around for.
Rock has been promoting the heck out of the album, releasing videos for half of its songs, including “Win,” “OSOM” with J. Cole, and “ES Tales,” not including “King’s Dead” with Future and Kendrick, which was released as a single for Top Dawg’s Black Panther soundtrack instead. In a year where most of the high-profile releases came with one or two promotional singles, it might be a smart strategy for Top Dawg Entertainment’s oldest soldier’s campaign to earn his much-deserved respect.
Redemption is out now via Top Dawg Entertainment and Interscope. Get it here.
