Sudanese-American rapper Bas released visuals for his song “Amnesia” on Tuesday. It is one of four songs from his EP, Spilled Milk 1, which was released in early August of 2019.
Bas might be familiar to fans of Dreamville Records, the label founded by J. Cole, as one of the rappers signed to it. On Revenge of the Dreamers III, the label’s third compilation album, Bas lends a verse to two songs—“Costa Rica” and “Down Bad”—which are the first and third most streamed songs on Spotify from the album, with a combined total of about 135 million streams. Since Dreamville and J. Cole released a director’s cut of their compilation album on Friday, Bas’ timing seems apt.
Now in the peak of “RealFeel” zero temps and piercing winds, the release of “Amnesia” might have been all we needed to get through the rest of this forsaken season.
The song’s faded melody pairs well with the opening scene, where a black, female protagonist happily plates a fresh, steaming plate of jollof rice—a West-African-based dish. In this 17-second scene, the camera captures smaller components of the action: cuts of steam rising through the top of the pot, headshots of a muted conversation, and high-definition photos of glassware. The footage is quick and choppy, with a faded filter and warm overlays.
In the following scenes, Bas, Kiddominant, and Ari Lennox introduce themselves individually before appearing together. Despite the song’s quick tempo, everyone sways gracefully to the beat. The video becomes more interesting to watch as juxtaposed bird’s-eye and low-angle shots file across the screen.
The “Amnesia” video resurrects the spirit of summer through fashion. A fusion of various prints, colors, and textures enlivens the screen and ties the video’s theme together well. “Amnesia” ends in the only way it should: with a colorful daytime party—one of the ultimate highlights of summer—captured through both moving and still images.
Featured Image by Interscope Records
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