The rapper Mims once said, "I don't gotta rap, I can sell a mill sayin nothin’ on da track" in his song " This is Why I'm Hot." In the latest video for the song “Side Rides” from Sylvan Esso's Nick Sanborn aka Made of Oak, that premise was tested. The video features two MCs by the name of Well$ and Professor Toon. The first thing you notice once you hit play is that you can’t hear any lyrics from the two MC’s.
The video, directed by Endless Endless, features Sanborn, up-and-coming Charlotte rapper Well$ and Durham-based producer and artist Professor Toon – all friends from the North Carolina music scene. “Once I fixated on the idea of making a silent rap video, it kinda haunted me,” Sanborn shared, “Ironically, it ended up saying so much.”
When the rappers’ movements are combined with the stark black & white footage and the melodic, but glitchy lullaby by Made of Oak, it has definitely become on of my favorite ‘rap’ videos of the year! Hopefully, there will be version of the song with the lyrics in the near future. Watch it below and check out the rest of Made of Oak’s new EP Penumbra out on November 6 via Partisan Records.
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