Tyler the Creator, Domo Genesis, and the rest of their Odd Future rap crew have released a new music video for their track Sam (Is Dead).
Sam (Is Dead) is the third single from the Los Angeles hip-hop group’s debut studio album The OF Tape Vol. 2, which was released last March. Rapper Domo Genesis sings the first verse while Tyler sings the second and third.
The music video, directed by Wolf Haley (Tyler’s alias) plays more like a short film with the song accompanying the crew as soldiers springing into action in the jungles that recall other films that deal with the Vietnam War like Apocalypse Now and Platoon.
The title card is animated with a grainy film effect to mimic exploitive grindhouse films from the sixties.
The video also features an original soundtrack scored by Tyler. He tweeted Thursday night, “BY 25 I DO NOT WANT TO BE RAPPING. LEGIT JUST MAKING FILMS AND SCORING THEM.”
Odd Future also brings some humor into the video in the form of kitten artwork sprinkled during an interrogation scene to juxtapose the serious tone of war.
The song features a mellow beat throughout with Tyler’s lyrics dealing with his stance on how fans look up to him as a role model while the 21-year-old rapper believes he has not matured yet and still has a lot to learn.
Horns kick in with a marching drumbeat during the video’s final moments that show an ambiguous genocide, as Tyler is still singing despite being shot in the head.
The minute-long end credits roll with a piano-driven jazzy tempo. Check out the video here.
