Nigerian rapper Falz took Childish Gambino's "This Is America" music video and reconstructed it for his countrymen.
The predecessor to Falz's video, "This Is America," was directed by Atlanta director Hiro Murai and was shot inside an empty warehouse. The video's action tracks Childish Gambino, a.k.a. Donald Glover, through multiple vignettes of civil unrest alternated with choreographed dance sequences to comment on topical issues including gun violence, social media obsession, and police brutality.
The Nigerian rapper, whose real name is Folarin Falana, starts his video with a similar aesthetic to Childish Gambino's version, but tells a different story.
In the Prodigeezy-directed "This Is Nigeria," the video shoves viewers into depictions of social ills plaguing Nigerian society.
We first see Falz listening to a voiceover of his father, human rights activist Femi Falana, orating about the corruption and exploitation which has plagued Nigeria's indigenous communities.
Falz, mimicking Glover's shirt-optional look, begins rapping, "This is Nigeria, look how I'm living now, look how I'm living now. Everybody be criminal" while chaos unfolds around him.
According to Okay Africa, Falz "tackles everything from the government's sluggish response to the missing Chibok Girls, the drug epidemic affecting Nigerian youth, widespread consumerism, the country's infamous Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), internet fraud, crooked pastors, Fulani herdsmen and even Big Brother Nigeria."
Much like the video that inspired "This Is Nigeria," the social commentary of political unrest here warrants repeat viewings, as there are always new things to discover within its intricately woven tapestry of provocative images.
Moments of levity gave viewers of "This Is America" a short reprieve from the barrage of violent images in the video. Here's the dance portion from "This Is America."
This thread shows some of the shots taken at the expense of corrupt figures and politicians.
Falz's chaotic video earned much praise for its bold take on incendiary topics, ensuring his status as a relevant and audacious artist.
H/T - CNN, YouTube, Twitter, Mashable, OkayAfrica
