Black Panther Party Meets Matrix: Rapper Jasiah's and Director Trey Lyons Afro-Futuristic Vision Comes to Fruition in "Rebel"

The rage in Jasiah’s voice is palpable in the track. The two artists had a very specific vision and story they wanted to tell, and they did just that. Truth seemed to be the word spoken the most while explaining their goals for “Rebel." About his self doubt, Jasiah remarked, “I wanna befriend everything in my head, but fuck all that shit right now. I’m gonna push through that shit. This video looks like a fucking movie. It’s gonna do something to people’s souls.” Trey hopes to spread the message that “there is power in looking how you look and feeling how you feel.”

This video, executive produced by Nick Vernet and McCray Sutherlin with Los Angeles creative studio and production company, Muddy Water, marks the second collaboration between Muddy Water and Telfar. Jasiah and his Panthers are decked in Telfar head to toe, as if its the uniform of the revolution. Jasiah's look in "Rebel" is from Telfar's SS20 runway show at Paris Fashion Week.

Read our conversation with Jasiah and Trey, and watch the video for "Rebel," below.

Hi! Congratulations on your new project, “Rebel”!

Jasiah—Thank you, I appreciate it.

How are you guys living these days?

J—With Covid going on, it’s kind of been a weird mid ground… I’ve definitely felt a lot better, but I’m gettin better. As time goes on, I’ve been realizing how strong my mental is. I’m painting right now, I haven’t actually painted before.

How’s that going?

J—Here I’ll show you.

Lovely monsters.

J—No, no, these are spirits. That’s how I interpret it. I’ll let people interpret it how they want, but for me it's a break in the space-time continuum, and that’s how life was made.

Oh, for sure I can see that.

J—Yeah, I don’t like seeing monsters.

That’s fair.

J—But I appreciate you being interested. Sorry I’m fuckin’ weird.

Not at all! What about you, Trey, how’s life?

Trey—It’s pretty good. Covid fucked me up, too, a little bit. It’s just fucked up everybody’s time. It’s been good. I’m growing facial hair, trying new things. And hangin’ out with my dog. and, you know, living.

The “Rebel” music video is Black Panther themed. I’d love to hear more about this decision, as I know you are making a very specific point with it.

J—Well, for me, the first idea was destruction and just showing the truth, and that’s always the first idea: just showing the energy of what’s going on today and what people are feeling like. We all feel alone; we’re all isolated in our houses, all day, everyday. So I wanted to do me, in the center of a street with a cop car… Then, it would cut to someone else in the same exact spot, but they’re by themselves ‘cause they also feel alone. And someone else, and someone else.... And we all are just breaking shit around us because there’s tension building in our heads; we’re just tired of all the bullshit. But it mashed together, my idea, with what Trey came up with, the actual treatment. We still got to smash the cop car and shit, and I like the idea and how it looks now. It’s still showing the truth, but showing something more powerful for black people right now. Right now we need to empower my people. In the song, I'm saying the truth; I’m saying, Y'all better get this shit together or it's gonna get bad. The video is showing the energy of what’s happening. He’s giving a gun to a kid, like, they’re starting to arm the black youth: We’re gonna have to do this shit now. It’s like the powers are trying to create a race war, but it’s not a race war, it’s a power struggle. But it feels like it has to be a race war, so the black youth are given weapons to arm themselves… so they don’t even get to experience a fun life.

Or, like, their own childhoods.

J—Yeah, your whole childhood is basically fucked right now. I’m always a person that looks to the light, but how things are turning out right now: there’s still police brutality, a lot more black people are going missing and getting killed, transgenders are getting murdered for no reason. It’s basically just repeating history. I was just watching a Rodney King video and it looks and sounds the exact same; it’s driving me fucking insane right now. But I'm a person that’s lookin’ to the light, that things are gonna change. That’s why I made this video. ‘Cause I believe things are gonna change. I fight with my doubts. I’m like, Damn, this song isn’t getting a lotta views, a lotta plays, people are not tryna listen to this shit, and most of my fanbase is white, so it's a bigger barrier that I have to break through, and I’m going to. FUCK ALL MY DOUBTS. Not fuck them, I wanna befriend everything in my head, but fuck all that shit right now. I’m gonna push through that shit. This video looks like a fucking movie. It’s gonna do something to people’s souls.

What was the vision like for you, Trey? Where did it come from?

T—The first concept was feeling alone, and then I wrote something more along the lines of feeling empowered and flipping the script because aesthetic-wise I wanted it to feel like afro-futurism. So, it’s like Black Panther Party meets the fucking Matrix. I like making videos in another world, another timeline, and that timeline for this video isn’t that far away from what shits like now, but just flipping the script. The beginning: he’s in front of the group, they have guns, they’re loaded up, and I wanted it to feel like how the Black Panther Party was doing in the 70’s- just arming up. Getting ready to protect yourself. Uprise against this. I think the vision just came from having all the extras; the energy was really amazing, and it felt like we were doing it all for a reason because we are doing it for a reason. Spread this message out and empower each other. Let each other know we’re all beautiful and we don’t have to put up with this shit. Just riding along the waves with that just made it look… the ending’s really crazy. The end is insane.

No spoilers. Having a platform to be able to speak your mind artistically is really important right now. Do you plan on continuing to make political music? “Rebel” is very political and obviously the video supports that.

J—I’ve always, throughout music, whenever anything happens for no reason or is wrong or unjust, I’ve always made a song, even when I didn’t have a platform. I do everything based off of feeling. I don’t feel like stopping. If I feel like something’s right, I’ma do it. So, what was your creative process in writing the song? J: I make a lotta songs, like, Fuck the Police. If you listen to the entirety of Apocalypse [upcoming album], it’s basically just like, Fuck the Police! The process of making [“Rebel”], it was on a completely different beat. But I wrote the chorus a little differently, and then it got rearranged, and I liked how it rearranged. It felt dark and powerful and more intense. I wrote a verse with this dude named Blaze. But they sent the whole thing to me with just the first verse and the chorus. So, I got that shit, and it was just the bass. Then I put the beat to it, but I just kept thinking damn I gotta put a second verse. I made the beat, and then George Floyd happened. I was like, That’s what I’m gonna write about. I made the second verse based on that. I’m a person that- I don’t wanna get a gun. I believe, Live by the gun, Die by the gun. But I ain’t livin’ by it… we could die at any time. I feel like black people should be ready for anything.

Are you very involved in your production?

J—I make all my beats, I recorded myself, I recorded my second verse.

That’s awesome. So, Trey, I’m curious what your creative process is for directing a video? What leads you to build a story?

T—“Rebel”, in particular, was the fastest I’ve ever written anything. I usually compile a bunch of references from this website called Film Grab. I just see all these stills from movies. I get inspired by looking at a picture or even taking a walk. Like, I saw somebody pushing someone in a shopping cart, like, Oh, that’s cool, you know? I like making things. I’m really inspired by cartoons and the concept that there’s no limitations to the creative process within cartoons because you can do anything, and just tryna bring that to life through music videos- making this kind of alternate timeline for everybody. “Rebel” was the fastest I’ve ever written anything. I just heard it and I was really fucking mad. I was like really, really, really, really, really mad. I wrote it in thirty minutes.

When inspiration strikes…

J—It hits like a wall...

Can each of you name a couple creative influences that not just influenced you for this project, but inspire you in general?

J—Me. Nobody else.

T—I fuck with that answer, I like that energy.

J—I am my biggest inspiration. I am the reason I wanna make beats, I am the reason I wanna talk about the things I wanna talk about, I am the reason. Trey, you’re gonna second that answer? T: I’m gonna second that answer. I guess… I like Khalil Joseph a lot right now. And Basquiat. And Warhol. Obviously those two.

J—Now, I’ll say that I study people. I’m not gonna say they’re my biggest inspirations or anything like that. Are you talking about music or political views?

I meant in any type of way—anyone that influences you creatively… or it doesn’t even have to be a person, it can be a thing.

J—Music, fucking music. Creativity. I’m fucking painting right now. I have not painted before. I’m painting. Before this music shit, I wanted to be a visual artist, and before that, I wanted to be a mechanical engineer. So, creating, creating, I just wanna always create. That’s my biggest inspiration.

What brought you to music, Jasiah? 

J—My talent. My family, we’re very musical people. I grew up with 6 sisters: my dad is a guitarist, my mom is one of the best singers ever, one of my sisters in one of the best singers ever, my other sister is a very smart person and she can act her ass off, my other sister can play violin, my other sister can draw, my other sister can dance, my other sister can dance, draw, sing, you know, I grew up with a creative family. And caring. I care a lot. 

So you sing opera… How does this influence your current music?

J—It’s powerful, I mean, I’m a skinny n**** that can scream loud, that can sing loud. I can sing opera without having a microphone near me and I can fill the whole room. I can fill the cathedral, I promise.

Your music spans across many genres: screamo, emo, rap, rock, etc. Where does your unique genre-bending sound come from?

J—I don’t really have a sound. That’s my take on it. I don’t just do emo, rock, screamo. For example, I sing opera. I do autotune shit too. I like tackling all spectrums because I have no sound. My sound is my voice, but in general, I wanna tackle everything. I wanna make a reggae song one day. Then people will ask, What inspired you to do that? I’ve just grown up with music. It’s not like a certain person was in front of my face and I was like, Oh shit, I wanna do this specific thing now. It was a progression. The start of my aggression was even listening to Tyler, the Creator. I listen to so much I couldn’t even pinpoint. I’m tired of answering the question with someone specific. Because it’s not someone specific. My brain just goes forward. I’m not thinking about who the fuck inspired me. I’m inspiring me.

How do you think listeners/viewers will connect with “Rebel”?

J—It’s the truth. People connect with the truth. And I’ve learned that I am the truth. People connect with the truth. The truth will set you free. I’m not lying in the song. Everything in this song is what’s happening right now. It’s just the truth. It’s gonna connect because it’s true. If it doesn’t connect, they’re in denial and they don’t wanna listen. These are the cries of my people. These are the cries of me. I’m hurt, I’m hurting. Every day, I look, and I’m scared. I’m tired of living in fear. I’m just hoping with my music, even when I was doing my screamo shit, I would say, this is for the n***** that feel like they can’t, and when they’re at my shows, they feel like they can. I want to inspire; I want to spread my energy the best way I feel is right, ‘cause my intuition is right.

What about you Trey?

T—I believe in his energy. I believe in his message. And we have a lot of similar views on a lot of things. The whole reason we came together is that we weren’t lying, we weren’t faking anything. It's very raw emotion. Speaking from something that we feel every day. Walking outside like, I’m terrified, but you can’t be afraid. I just want people to feel that and be inspired and feel empowered to find power within themselves and be comfortable with themselves. And know there is power in looking how you look and feeling how you feel. There’s also gonna be a lot of people who are fucking mad.

There’s always going to be people who are mad.

T—But, you know, fuck ‘em.

What can people look forward to hearing/seeing from you? Where is this year going to take you both artistically?

J—Progression. Shit, I’m about to make the best music ever. My computer just fucking broke, and I take that as a sign that I need to make better music. So, I’m about to make better music, I’ma spread more of my message and continue. That’s my whole goal.

T—To reflect and get better. This whole thing, even covid, even everything that’s happening, I loved it. I feel like there’s a renaissance going on, and there’s this revolution, and I’m kinda getting inspired by that and pushing myself to get better and making things that have purpose. Not only to me, especially to me, but to put the energy out into the world that I think needs to be put out into the world. Just tryna make that the focus of every project that I do.