The video for “Like Lava” is a DIY art piece in powerful group dynamism.
One of the most interesting mash-up experiments to emerge from Toronto’s underground music scene, No Tourists (a group of seven vocalists and producers) offer their own patented style of drill, a genre within hip-hop that has taken the London and New York music scene by storm. “Like Lava” features verses from group members Kafayé, Keynes Woods, Lan’do, and Deelo Avery, who each deliver their lines with such hyperbole that you’ll think you’re on an episode of Top Boy.
Separated by the constraints and limitations set by the pandemic, the group took the rare opportunity to come together and shoot a DIY music video. Shot very nonchalantly on the rooftop of a downtown music studio, leading pack member Kafayé used his experience in multimedia and video production to create a video just for the sake of creating. “Nowadays content is king,” he states, “I think that the more visual representations that we have out there is better for the group, so people can get to know us personally.”
“Like Lava” picks up the same energy that fans experienced on their 2020 EP “Guerrilla” and the renegade single “Dumbo”, which saw the group attain notable acclaim in Canada and internationally. Their 2021 project continues to delve into this funky world of genre-bending experimentation and raw emotional lyricism that we have come to know from this multifarious bunch.
No Tourists as a group has a sound that is substantially different than the sum of its parts. Each member of the collective offer a very diverse and unique creative donation to the collective’s projects, inspired by their singular artistic backgrounds in jazz, hip-hop, dancehall, funk and experimental music. Yet, there is profound magic created every time this group of musicians come together to create. It’s as if there is a singular mission and purpose behind the force that drives No Tourists, and the chemistry and camaraderie between the tight knit group is undeniable.
For more No Tourists content, check out their set from the Serious Betty-coproduced BIPOC Festival here.
Credits:
Performed by Kafayé, Keynes Woods, Lan’do, and Deelo Avery
Produced by Abdulla and Universes
Video directed and shot by Kafayé
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Review by Sami Huda
Follow Sami @made.in.dhaka
