Brent Faiyaz’s last album, F*ck The World, came out in 2020, but that hasn’t stopped the Baltimore-raised R&B singer from continuing to support it with the new video for “Let Me Know.” Contrary to the reputation he’s developed as the purveyor of toxic anthems, a la Future (or Brent’s own songs “Wasting Time” and “Mercedes“), “Let Me Know” is a more socially-minded effort and its animated video fits the theme with a haunting visual metaphor reflecting Faiyaz’s message.
“Who can I love when they tell me I can’t love myself?” he wonders in the song. Meanwhile, in the video, animated Brent leaves his home to wander the streets but is confronted by people wearing ghostly masks (they look a lot like Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas, as well as a certain domestic terrorist organization with a bone to pick with… uhhh… darker-skinned Americans). Nearly everyone he passes bears the spectral affectation until he meets a pair of police officers who stop him with guns drawn.
In a panic, he escapes back to his home, where he opens his closet to reveal his own mask. He dons it, walking outside as the gathered crowd cackles in triumph. Then, in a moment of rebellion, he removes his mask, which gives the bystanders license to do so themselves. The ending isn’t really a surprise, but it is a powerful message of self-acceptance in a world that still doesn’t give everyone a fair shake.
Watch Brent Faiyaz’s “Let Me Know” video above.
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“Who can I love when they tell me I can’t love myself?” he wonders in the song. Meanwhile, in the video, animated Brent leaves his home to wander the streets but is confronted by people wearing ghostly masks (they look a lot like Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas, as well as a certain domestic terrorist organization with a bone to pick with… uhhh… darker-skinned Americans). Nearly everyone he passes bears the spectral affectation until he meets a pair of police officers who stop him with guns drawn.
In a panic, he escapes back to his home, where he opens his closet to reveal his own mask. He dons it, walking outside as the gathered crowd cackles in triumph. Then, in a moment of rebellion, he removes his mask, which gives the bystanders license to do so themselves. The ending isn’t really a surprise, but it is a powerful message of self-acceptance in a world that still doesn’t give everyone a fair shake.
Watch Brent Faiyaz’s “Let Me Know” video above.
Continue reading...