I released my debut rap video Madman in August 2019 to generally positive reviews and critical acclaim. Filmed in Inner West Sydney, the clip paid respects to local Sydney and the underground community.
Combining stunning visuals with lyricism and storytelling – the professional hip hop video was filmed and created by the super-talented Crooked City crew. Big ups fam!
Today’s blog we will go behind-the-scenes into what actually goes into making a dope hip hop video.
There’s some fundamental things to think about when making a rap video:
a) Location
b) Concept
c) Budget
Other things need to be thought about as well of course:
What will you wear? Will there be props? What time of day will the video take place? Will it be filmed inside or outside?
I think now more than ever music videos in hip hop – actually ANY genre for that matter – are crucial in the digital age. For me when I’m on YouTube I’m so much more likely to look at a track with a film clip than one without..especially for artists/bands I’m not familiar with.
visual fundementals
When we filmed Madman, I had this idea that we could do a 1-shot style rap video walking down Glebe Point Road – which is this HUGE road that is basically the length of a whole suburb. Anyway the idea was for me to spit bars walking down the street Bitter Sweet Symphony style and eventually end up at Bed Bar and jump on stage and finish the track on the mic.
Problem was it was the tail-end of Winter so it was still getting dark pretty early so by the time we met up after our day jobs, it was basically pitch black. Unfortunately one cannot shoot a 1 shot style rap video in the pitch black.
So we adapted and made do with what we had. My girl had a massive deck of cards that she brought along that really tied the shoot together. We shot the rap video in Glebe, which is an inner city metropolis with long strips of boutique shops and hipster bars.
It all just sort of came together. There was a record shop across the road from Bed Bar so we thought it would be cool to get some footage of me digging in the crates. The slow motion effects made it a dope scene. Some of the rap video is still me walking down the street towards the camera with people walking by living their lives.
We shot some of the video in the bar and I’m super grateful as the lighting in that place is bright, neon and funky. Big ups Bed Bar.
Madman took us about 4 hours to film.
When my boi Dan of Crooked City sent me the finished product a few weeks later I was blown away. I couldn’t believe how good it looked! Shout outs to Crooked City. It looks so good in fact that people ask me all the time who filmed it.
Let me just take a moment to go on a rant. A lot of people I’ve met in the scene talk a big game about being dope rappers and how they’ll reach the top etc. These same people don’t want to invest in their music but yet feel entitled to a fan base. They then turn around and wonder why no one is listening to their music. Something I’ve learnt through the journey is that no one owes you anything. You gotta keep pushing.
So I had the finished product. Now i had to hype it. I decided to do a 14 day countdown on my socials for the clip to drop. I don’t know if anyone else got hyped but it certainly worked on me!
My debut hip hop music video went live and I kept plugging myself through my socials. Somewhere through that process Beardcam was born.
Madman now has just over 2100 views on YouTube. I think 2000 are mine. It may not sound like a lot to some people but it’s a lot to me. I am so proud of what I’ve accomplished.
My new rap video Guilt and Shame is dropping in a few weeks. It’s currently with my boi Dan getting beautified. A mistake I made with my 2nd video Bound by War was not preparing a concept. I had the location but no concept at all. I have to learn from my mistakes though.
The latest video – Guilt and Shame – I wrote an entire script for and some of the crew play starring roles. Big ups Izzy, GhostAttack, Kunal, Angel and Mumjulah!
Cannot wait to share the new film clip with you guys!
Shout outs to Crooked City… Bro that Dan guy is next level. Dude works magic.
Yeah bro he is a master