Is that D'Angelo Barksdale?

Posted Monday, June 09, 2008 @ 05:23 in Beat Reporter by Brandon Perkins

It's new media Monday for Nas and Def Jam. This morning saw the release of his Green Lantern assisted "The Nigger Tape" (it bangs, but isn't quite convincing me on the album). Then his thoughts on Obama. And most recently, the much posted- and postered-about video for "Be A Nigger Too," directed by Rik Cordero. (NahRight has all the Nas links you could ever hope for, including maybe, probably one that lead you here.)

The video begins with elegant shots of New York's epic architecture and a dangerously lulling lullabye of a piano tickle. A radio broadcast, a Paul Mooney joke about the invention of the word, and then Nas at the top of his game. Hardly a drum in sight, other than that of his drive. The content is brutal but his delivery is as delicate as the piano it dances with. If this was the video and not the opening credits to another video for an inferior song with aggressive visuals that contradict the message of the music, then I'd be more fired up about his upcoming untitled album.

Maybe I'm old school, but I don't think a music video needs opening and closing credits. Kanye's "Two Words" was only opening credits and that shit was pretty great. The hateful images in Cordero's lense are the absolute proof as to why we aren't all niggers too. History is not on that sentiment's side. That's certainly the point, but it also undercuts Nas' bi-partisan phony sounding hook. Maybe the positivity needs to be juxtaposed with a dark and depressing reality. If you like that train of thought, read URB's cover story on Nas, on-stands now.

If you want to know about D'Angelo Barksdale: there are cameos from at least two cast members of The Wire (who aren't on BH9 2.0), Harold (but not Kumar) and a real live American soldier (but not a dead one).

Chris Partlow aka Gbenga Akinnagbe


Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins aka Andre Royo


Harold Lee aka John Cho



But most importantly, is this D'angelo Barksdale?


I'd go back to the credits, either one of them, but I just can't do it. 

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