If there’s anybody looking to push the boundaries of music and media, it’s D Smoke. Having won the first season of Netflix’s “Rhythm & Flow,” the Inglewood talent has since delivered hard-hitting tunes via his Inglewood High EP and, more recently, his debut album Black Habits. Following some top tier visuals for album cuts “No Commas,” “Black Habits I,” and “Gasper Yanga,” D Smoke teams up with his brother SiR in the rollercoaster clip for “Light On,” which chronicles the duo’s night in a strip club in the most descriptive way possible:
“I had a long day shift, I came here and needed some motivation, your family probably got ass for generations/
You got it from your mama, so mama can get it, I don’t come in religious/
But I heard you that hometown favorite, so turn around and shake somethin’ flagrant/
And if I go home with your fragrance, read about it in the papers, yeah…/”
The accompanying video is directed by Jack Begert and takes the song to an entirely different level. Playing in reverse, we see the story of a stripper, played by “Insecure” mastermind Issa Rae, making the decision to rob her boss, veteran actor Danny Trejo, following an on-stage performance. When she and the Farris brothers attempt to make a getaway, they find themselves in the midst of what ends up being a tragic shootout in retaliation.
Speaking to Variety, D Smoke explained how Issa Rae became a part of the story, which is meant to show “a series of events tied to an empowered woman who takes what she wants and is willing to face the consequences that result”:
“As creatives, we’re always a little excited to rattle the collective zeitgeist. The beauty of having Issa Rae involved as our lead exotic dancer, we hope the video accomplishes that. She’s a creative force who’s been disrupting the industry for nearly 10 years and we’re ecstatic she saw this as an opportunity to display her talent in a new light.”
Press play on “Lights On” below.