Flatbush Zombies Bring The Power To ‘Blacktivist’
After tearing it up on stage at Reading Festival there was no question that Flatbush Zombies were getting amped up to fire up some real force with their next project.
Speaking to DJ Semtex at Reading the Zombies were adamant that “Art should not be rushed, it should be curated” so it’s no surprise that the first track from their forthcoming EP is a collaborative art project. Berlin based Artist Mario Pfeifer enlisted Flatbush Zombies for a new project #blacktivist now exhibiting as a video installation in the U.S from
But this a nation of lost souls
Brooklyn trio Flatbush ZOMBIES – Erick Arc Elliott, Meechy Darko, and Zombie Juice, are as raw as you can be on ‘Blacktivist‘, and in a statement from Mario Pfeifer, the video work is an urgent one aimed at raising the debate.
#blacktivist aims to take a stand on current events. The title refers to “black activist on activist,” the first verse of the song by the Flatbush ZOMBIES, which is followed by ambiguous references to everyday and consumer culture in the United States. In addition to delivering critical commentaries on the world of television, the lyrics reflect about the First and Second Amendments, which protect the right to free speech, freedom of religion, as well as the right to bear arms for self-defense. In the video, the conflict between armed self-defense and escalating gun violence are juxtaposed with the meaning of images and the power of the voice. Sequences of police violence taken by surveillance and body cameras as well as mobile devices show the escalation of the conflict. In other scenes, the Flatbush ZOMBIES perform in a 3-D animated world between digital hashtags, cinematic transitions, and chroma key landscapes, while addressing current events in world politics. The narrative culminates with the rappers being reborn as pacifist freedom fighters.
The video installation is produced by Mario and co-directed with Drew Arnold, who was also contributed technical direction for Kanye West’s video BLKKK SKKKN HEAD, the creative direction for Beyonce’s performance at the United Nations, as well as her interactive billboard performance for Run The World.
