Yasiin Bey Releases Video for "Basquiat Ghostwriter"

Just five days after dropping “Basquiat Ghostwriter,” a new song inspired by both the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat and the unfortunate instances of police brutality that continue to dominate headlines in the U.S., Yasiin Bey has now released a visual interpretation for the song. The video compiles old footage of Basquiat painting on the street with spray cans in addition to b-rolls of old school video games such as Centipede. All the imagery has been inverted to the negative and he also leaves a note about the piece:

Good tidings in this season of the lion. Black August action.

Peace. Happy Wednesday morning. In commemoration of the birth week of one Marcus Garvey, herein is an arrangement of visuals for the sonic composition “Basquiat Ghostwriter”, directed and produced by A Country Called Earth. Special thanks to I. Attallihi, J. Cuba and S. bin Sharifu.

FREE THE LAND. We are already in outer space. The local time is always now. Free Shmurda. If you are reading this, you are already reading. We appreciateyuh.

Negus. Eternal pedigree. Noble Empire. So real. Surreal.

L T P F J. peace.

– Yasiin Bey