one small seed » music video | one small seed

Haezer’s Minted WINS Cannes Lions Award

one small seed — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 09:46:15 +0000

Wim Steytler, director of Haezer’s music video for Minted, won the Young Director (Silver) Award at the Cannes Lions Award Ceremony in France on Thursday.

Image: Screenshot

Cannes Lions is the world’s biggest celebration of creativity in communications. Benchmarking innovation in anything from mobile and billboards to design and branded content, it’s the home of the great ideas changing the ways brands interact with their customers. Their Awards champion the best work from the past year and the Festival’s inspirational learning programme points the way forward.

The video features the subject of Xenophobia which is still a huge problem in Johannesburg, especially in the buildings depicted in the video. Steytler chose to centre the story of the video on the oppression of the Somalian community in South Africa. Some South Africans feel threatened by Somalians economically and therefore target them in xenophobic attacks

“It’s a great honour for my work to get recognised on such a huge international platform. Music videos are a fantastic medium with which to push visual boundaries, exactly like I did with Haezer’s Minted music video, and I can’t wait to get the next project off the ground.” says Steytler.

“Wim had a very clear vision for the music video and managed to stylishly pull off a big and abstract idea. It was easy working with him and his producers because of this and their open mindedness and grace when it comes to the director/artist bridge. They were accommodating with any changes I wanted made and I think the final product marries the concept with the music beautifully.” – Haezer.

Image: Screenshot

Miley Cyrus Just Can’t Keep Her Clothes On

one small seed — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 12:09:58 +0000

Quentin Jones shoots a highly suggestive video of Miley Cyrus. Some have deemed it porn, some say it’s ‘artistic’. What do you think? Tweet us at @onesmallseedSA or leave a comment below!

Miley Cyrus in ‘Miley’ – Screen Shot

M.I.A.: ‘Double Bubble Trouble’ | Pitbulls & Leopards Are The Shit Right Now

one small seed — Wed, 21 May 2014 10:43:41 +0000

Two definite videos to talk about are currently making their rounds online. Die Antwoord just dropped ‘Pitbull Terrier’ (Emir Kusturica’s awesomely fun movie Black Cat, White Cat springs to mind immediately) and female rapper M.I.A. & The Partysquad released ‘Double Bubble Trouble’ on 19 May 2014 — maybe along a similar shit-stirring vein as the Zef rappers’ provocative style…

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While Die Antwoord show us the the dirty world of cat and dog fights, M.I.A. alerts us to more specific issues when her self-directed video confronts us with challenging imagery such as flying neon-coloured drones, 3D-printed guns, burqas with a white-girl-smile print on them, kids posing for selfies as well as (less significant?) pitbulls and leopards. It was banned for a short while due to copyright reasons since its release two days ago but live again now, and viewers are fervently giving their two cents in Youtube’s comment section. Is M.I.A. a talented artist drawing attention to important issues? Or is she, as one of the comments states below, “siphoning off the culture of poor people”? What do you think? Here are some of the comments people left below the video on Youtube, you can click here for more. Feel free to continue the conversation by leaving a comment below or tweeting us at @onesmallseedSA.

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thejakesh:

Based on the comments, I’m inclined to revise my earlier stated view to acknowledge that perhaps there’s more to this aesthetic than I’m aware of. Still not much of an MIA fan, especially her vampire-ish siphoning off and disposable use of imagery and culture from poor people and middle eastern and west asian people to give authenticity to her niche capitalist music commodities.

50ftQueenie89:

Ah yes cool but don’t forget that she grew up as a refugee in London and actually LIVED the culture you say she is “siphoning” off. Nothing vampirish about it, they are all part of her heritage and legitimate influences that inform her art. And all art is “commodity” whether you like it or not. Her engagement with hip-hop, music, fashion and politics is at least presenting a transparent vision of capitalist culture rather than asking people to be completely deluded by it. Being completely pejorative about entertainment and art isn’t going to get you anywhere, dude. The system swallows everyone up. Good talk. Hail Anarchy.

ASouthernWriter (JJTV):

YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is my favorite song from the album! M.I.A. has been keeping it REAL since the beginning. Got MAD respect for her as an artist as well as her raising awareness of REAL issues going on in the world! #1984IsNOW

Anthony Dabor:

i know, i felt the same that she could of kept it as a reggae track. seems nowadays when you hear the intro of a song, starts off so well, you think wow, awesome then it starts to go wrong towards the middle and falls apart. great tune though!

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2Cellos | ‘Thunderstruck’ Crescendo

one small seed — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 06:30:44 +0000

Having achieved a steady online-following after their version of Michael Jackson’s ‘Smooth Criminal‘ went viral, Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser of 2Cellos have created another stir with their newest cover. This time, a theatre filled with well-behaved medieval-clad ladies and gents is entertained by the duo’s version of AC/DC‘s ‘Thunderstruck’. Similar to the audience’s reaction to Marty’s guitar solo in Back to the Future — after which he famously predicts, ‘I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet, but your kids will love it’ — the listeners seem somewhat abashed when Sulic and Hauser start hacking away at their strings. The video received five million views in one week, and now has 8,489,992. It’s a pleasure to watch them on screen, but we’re sure Elton John was right when he said,

…Go and see them live, because it really is astonishing! I can’t remember seeing anything as exciting as them since I saw Jimi Hendrix live back in the ’60s…

‘Thunderstruck’ by 2 Cellos – Screenshot

Die Antwoord: How Much is too Much?

one small seed — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:05:19 +0000

Die Antwoord is back with an interesting video sure to turn some heads. Putting a new spin on the good girl meets bad boy saga, the video will shock and awe viewers into silence. Scantily clad dancers and aggressive lyrics make it very clear Cookie Thumper is not talking about your average Girl Scout cookies.

Although the video has been received with mixed reviews, there is one thing everyone can agree on, the shock factor. The controversial rap group delivered in jaw-dropping fashion to leave viewers excited, confused, inspired, and perhaps even slightly disgusted. Bandmate Ninja takes charge behind the camera, leaving wife Yo-Landi Vi$$er to take the lead in her first solo track. Ninja’s absence is hardly noticeable in light of Yo-landi’s barely-there bikini and steamy scenes with a toothless gangster.

image: konbini.com

The duo had a tough act to top following their previous video Fatty Boom Boom, but have they taken it too far? In less than 24 hours the video has received over 500,000 hits and created quite the buzz. We expect any product of this South African crew to be outrageous but this latest instalment has led some to wonder at what point does ‘creative genius’ become ‘attention-starved extremists?’ Both are entertaining if not unsettling, but ultimately it’s a blurred-jagged line. Comment below and let us know what you think!

image: blogbuzzter.de

image: c-heads.com

image: testspiel.de

Images: blogbuzzter.de, tuxboard.com,c-heads.com, testspiel.de, konbini.com

Kendrick Lamar | Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe

one small seed — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:10:56 +0000

Nothing can get Kendrick Lamar down and the latest video from this California born hip-hop artist shows just that. Directed by The Lil Homies and OG Mike Mihail the video depicts the rapper’s emotional trip over the course of a day. Starting at a funeral where Lamar mourns a loss alone he then shifts to a joyous affair where he celebrates with rappers Juicy J and Schoolboy Q as well as with comedian Mike Epps. The music video shows scenes of Lamar seeking guidance while in an open field and also him receiving a baptism in a pool full of liquor. In the end the title of the track explains the mood perfectly and Lamar is serious, don’t kill his vibe.

‘Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe’ is off of Lamar’s latest album, ‘good kid, m.A.A.d. city’.

Screenshot

Words: Emma Remington

Gazelle featuring Devi Mambouka and Jogyo | ‘R.U.N’

one small seed — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:00:17 +0000

Here is the brand new video for a single from Gazelle that could easily find its way onto your next playlist.

Shot in New York but bringing together three different musicians of African descent the unique beat and lyrics here are addictive. Gazelle, a South African musician and electropop producer, Jogyo who is a Dither Down mainstay and the vocalist Devi Mambouka joined forces on this track ‘R.U.N’ which Jogyo said is an acronym for ‘Remember Union Now’. The individual style of each artists shines through but also works seamlessly with the others. Get ready for an exciting trip.

Gazelle – R.U.N (Featuring Jogyo & Devi Mambouka) by dm_517554946c655

Image: Press Junkie PR

Images and video: Press Junkie PR, Okay Africa.

Words: Emma Remington