Directed by Lenny Bass and Kris Merc, De La Soul once again personifies the essence that is hip-hop in their triumphant, ubiquitous return to the game. With a neo-proper nod to another historic crew of hip-hop innovators – the Long Island wonders only solidify their place in the hallowed halls of the culture.nn”Get Away (feat. the Spirit of the Wu)” is a grand technological feat and visually evolved video effort, encompassing raps essentials of MCing and street knowledge, while also representing the music’s staying power and complexity seen through metaphoric lens of the Rubik’s cube. nnThe story of creative collaboration on this project, only strengthens the idea that a technological approach to the work is bringing us together like never before. As director’s Lenny Bass and Kris Mercado quickly tapped their artistic alliances, and friends, bringing together an arsenal of talents from all walks of their creative lives. And as seen in the final product, the entire hustled effort of producing “Get Away (feat. The Spirit of the WU)” serves as another transcendent example that hip-hop is “SOMETHING you live.”nn
nnPos of De La Soul had this to say about the video, “It was definitely a challenge, but I think a creative challenge we were all up too. It just came out dope, and I got people asking me ‘so y’all on a major,’ it’s being well received at the moment…Technically, it damn well looks better than any video we ever did.”nnPos on where “Get Away (feat. The Sprit of the WU,” ranks among videos like “Me, Myself and I,” “Stakes is High,” and “Ooh” Pos had to say, “It was kind of like gorilla style, and I like that, and I feel like for me to be in a group that came out in 88′, I like when I can turn around and still feel like I’m doing something how it was back then, as opposed to ‘we’re in De La Soul, we have this big tour bus waiting outside while we shoot this video,’ I liked the gorilla style, and everyone who came to do it, we came to do it and it was us against the world trying to put something out amazing – so it’s really up there for me (us).” nnLenny Bass on the process, “In truth the concept for this video evolved from a clever Xmas card I received from De La. The card was a triptych of all three of their faces, simple in design but completely capturing the essence of the group. Several calls later and the cube concept was born. From there I enlisted Co Director Kris Mercado’s talents and together we took the concept beyond boundaries. The end result is a metaphoric representation of what De La has meant to me and many over the span of their career. Similar to the Rubik’s Cube, their music has consistently captured and provoked our imaginations encouraging us to be different in the bland sea of sameness. The army of creative’s (see credits below) that made this all possible blessing us with hours of their time. Without their talents, time and dedication none of this would have been possible!”nnKris Merc with a grin said, “For me simply put – this was a labor of love, where new school meets old school and ultimately the work wins out. From a technical standpoint the challenge lied in bringing together essentially four edits at once, and taking on the ambitious, difficult task of successfully marrying live action to post production. That’s where a lot of hard effort came into play, and where the two worlds of old vs. new collided to form something beautiful. All of it coming together in the end, because of our collaboration as artists and again because of putting genuine love into this project. nnMerc adds, “It also served as learning experience, I think for all those involved, and those then to be the best kind of experiences.”nnOfficial “Get A
Kris Merc Contact Kris via email
Contact:Rene Ramirez Contact Rene via email
Who Needs Los Angeles? We Do.
One doesn't have to be a statistician to know that there are fewer commercials being shot in the U.S. today for the American market than ever before, and a dramatic decrease in L.A. in particular. In the last five years, as reported by FilmLA (the office tasked with issuing permits), L.A. commercial production has dipped 31 percent. But here’s the thing: This doesn’t mean that L.A. has lost its importance as the production center of the world. Production in L.A. is vital. It is the go-to. It’s where you can count on access to exemplary crews, a support infrastructure second to none, varied location and backlot options, a large population of on-screen talent and (fairly) predictable weather. The fact is, with overall decline and now the devastation of the fires, we’re on the brink of losing this mainstay resource. Without employment opportunities and now many without homes, talented and trained crew are bound to leave either the industry or the LA area for other opportunities, unless there are enough job opportunities to sustain a solid living. Now is the time when we ALL must support and bolster this community. Production is needed in L.A., now! Of course, advertising is a business, and marketers’ money should be spent as efficiently as possible, BUT we have to think beyond each production and know that if we lose the incredible resource of L.A. production as we know it, then marketers, agencies and the industry loses in the long run. Over the past several days, some agencies have issued directives to production companies that are unilaterally pushing upcoming production options out of L.A. The fact is L.A. is a large area, and many sections of the city and county are not directly impacted... Read More