On “Critical,” the last track on his Yung Archetype EP, Tunde Olaniran sounded both out of sorts but also totally in control as he offered his own twist on the personal-as-political screed, crooning that “They can’t guarantee the ending won’t begin in me.” This knowing statement may have been delivered on a cut whose lyrics only obliquely made reference to Olaniran’s marginalized identity and his work with Planned Parenthood, but now it’s got a clip directed by Kevin Eckert that is anything but subtle.
The video opens on a set of credits whose Art Deco typeface mimics not only the fringe on Olaniran’s sleeves, but also the finely-coiffed plumage atop the singer’s head, as well as a superimposed music staff. In addition, the face of the artist is mirrored throughout the clip, echoing the sense of duality, the feeling of hybridity that Olaniran is well familiar with given the way he bridges rap and punk, trap and pop. On the contrary, the international sign of prohibition reads more sinister, and it speaks to the criticisms he still faces today.
As a response to those slings and arrows, then, Olaniran’s response is To Be, and judging from what we see here, it looks like outrageous fortune is coming his way. The boom-bap 2.0 production of Yung Archetype EP finds an appropriate visual counterpart in this video, with its glam aesthetic and unabashed display of emotion. If Tunde Olaniran continues to show up like this, he won’t have any use for metaphors. He’s already gone well beyond the world of convention; what he’s serving up now is pure invention.
Watch the video for “Critical” below: