Hip-hop has gone through any number of trends in its forty years, from suede Pumas and Adidas shell toes to pink dread and face tattoos, but between the rise of the exuberant Lizzo and eclectic Anderson .Paak and the concurrent but decidedly more low-key ascent of Masego, it looks like the next big thing might just be rappers who play their own instruments. While Lizzo is an accomplished flautist, and .Paak often raps from behind his drum set, Masego is prone to outbursts of silky, soulful saxophone solos, a tendency he puts on display in his latest video for “Tadow,” from his debut album Lady Lady.
Produced by Psycho Films and directed by Joe Weil, the “Tadow” video sees Masego using his soft-spoken charisma and brassy instrumental skills to charm a potential lady friend during a walk around the park. The video features prominent placements of its titular catchphrase throughout, from protest signs and love letters to the newspaper crossword and line written by a student on a chalkboard.
Masego originally released “Tadow” as a viral, one-take video back in 2017, amassing over 130 million views on Youtube, but returned to the track for its two-year anniversary today. He also recently contributed to Ari Lennox’s debut album Shea Butter Baby on the song “Up Late.”
