Society is rife with problems and oftentimes when things feel hopeless, we turn to the arts to give voice to the oppressed. The up-and-coming rapper Coops consistently provides a unique perspective on the world’s ills that pairs with impressive musical skill and sensibility to provide audiences with multi-faceted listening experience. For his track “Free Up,” off of his album Life in the Flesh from earlier this year, Coops released an impactful video that gives audiences a spellbinding visual component to his already poignant song.
Coops enlists Talos to cover production on “Free Up,” and the result is a moody instrumental that offers a nod of respect to golden era hip-hop without sounding outdated. The track’s production offers a perfect backdrop for Coops’ skillful flow as he raps about the challenges of racism and systemic injustice. The video is simple but powerful as it uses shots of Coops and others, including a child, behind jail bars, interspersed with clips from news broadcasts showing police brutality. The dark visuals keep with the theme of inequality and provide new significance to the music. Messages and images like these play an essential role in shining light on society’s problems and can hopefully lead to meaningful change in the future. With artists such as Coops devoting their craft to these types of causes, the future may be bright after all.
Connect with Coops: Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud
Connect with Talos: Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud
