Norwegian Rapper Ivan Ave Guides Hopeless Hoop Dreams with "Triple Double Love" Visual
His ‘Double Goodbyes’ album is slated to release this April.
Norwegian rapper Ivan Ave has been bringing his nostalgia-tinged, 1990s-inspired rap to the masses for the better part of a decade now. A frequent collaborator with Mndsgn, DâM-FunK and Kaytranada, Ivan cut through the lo-fi SoundCloud era with his distinct voice and ear for melody, often floating over beats with a smoothness only reserved for veterans in his lane – see his COLORS showcase for more proof. Back in 2014 Ivan and close collaborator Fredfades created Mutual Intentions, a label that gave Oslo a direct connection to hip-hop that the city hadn’t had before. After steady releases over the past few years, the rapper returns with “Triple Double Love,” an homage to hoop dreams in the form of a lovelorn anthem.
“Triple Double Love” runs through the journey of a hopeless pick-up basketball player, embarrassing himself through the trials and tribulations of practicing new skills. The aesthetic is largely inspired from 1980s and 1990s fitness infomercials with a tongue-in-cheek corniness that’s sure to resonate in how much in contrasts the effortless and minimalist synth-driven sonic offering.
“My long time collaborator Mohamed Chakiri and I came up with an idea for a short film, where the main character is struggling with duality. He loves dancing and basketball, but has a hard time keeping the two apart,” Ivan tells HYPEBEAST. “When push comes to shove, he uses dancing as a defense mechanism against the pressures of team sports. The song “Triple Double Love” is all about team spirit, and what that really means, both in love and on the art grind. So placing our man in a basketball-centric narrative was a perfect fit. We shot it last summer with a beautiful crew of Oslo homies. To feel the impact of Kobe’s passing now, seeing what an athlete of that magnitude means to people, made the video even more special to me.”
“Double Goodbyes is a product of just making music that moved me, in a phase of my life where I was building from scratch emotionally. I found healing in producing and singing these songs, without necessarily putting my usual “rappity-rap” hat on,” the rapper continues. “But as the album title suggests, a lot of times we find ourselves bumping into the exact things, people and habits that we thought we had left behind. So my hip-hop roots shine through once again, in this weird blend of RnB, AOR and synth sounds. Sasac was my main co-creator on the record, along with some dope music friends such as Kiefer, Mndsgn, Byron The Aquarius, Devin Morrison and more.”
Double Goodbyes will release on April 20, 2020 through Playground Music and Mutual Intentions. Watch the music video above and stream Ivan Ave’s latest below. In more music updates, catch up with Sudan Archives for a Q&A surrounding the rising artist’s new “Limitless” music video.
