"Although I didn't write this song, it spoke to me in a way that made me feel as if it was my own story,” Brandon said. “I found myself playing it over and over again in my bedroom, remembering situations that I've been through.”
Check out the video for yourself below.
We are really into your recent album, it’s sick.
I agree.
A lot of people consider you to be a part of this “sad rap” genre, would you agree with that?
Ah! Hell no.
Why do you say that? How would you categorize it?
That’s not what it is… I don’t know, it’s just me, It’s something different than what anybody else is doing.
I know you get sent a lot of samples, and that’s how you kind of put together your music, but do you use the beats as a starting point for each song or do you already have lyrics ready and then you put them to the beat?
I’ve got to hear the beat first, [and] the beats inspire me, yeah.
It seems super personal which is awesome, a lot of people try pretty hard to fit into genres and you to have your own thing, it’s cool… How does Chicago come into your music?
I don’t know, I talk about a lot of my experiences in Chicago.
Is your girlfriend (killavesi) from there, too? How did you guys meet?
Yeah, in Chicago, she went to high school around the corner from me. We met at a party. [It's been], like, two years.
It’s really cool how supportive you guys are of each other’s career from what I see.
What’s been the best thing about all this traveling you’ve been doing?
The food. Because most of the people in my family have never been to any of those places.
Did you get to take your family on any of the trips?
No, not yet. But it was crazy because they never got to experience anything like this, and I’m so young.
What was the best thing you ate?
I don’t know but Paris had a lot of good food. We had some good snails and stuff in Paris.
Lot's of new things, you’ve also done a lot of music videos with animals, how has that been?
It’s been fun. I rode a horse for the first time, so that was fun... They’re pretty big in person. They don’t look that big from afar but when you get up close they’re quite strong. It was crazy. But it was easier than I thought. I think it was a really well-trained horse.
They’re fucking huge, and weigh a ton! Did they give you a lesson beforehand?
The dude told me how to make the horse go backwards, go forwards, and stuff. And then he just told me to get on. The horse was going real fast, too. It was probably going like a car.
That’s crazy. Well, you look very professional in that video...So, how do you dye your hair?
My girlfriend does it.
Did you guys do matching hair on purpose?
She did it before me… I kind of wanted to do pink but I don’t know. We like pink. People used to really think I was crazy because I was in a bad area, and I had pink hair so people would be staring and shit. The mad thing is that it’s normal now.
Who’s your favorite person that you’ve collaborated with in terms of making music? What do you think’s been the best collaboration you’ve done?
I really like all the producers I’ve been working with, like all of them. Brodinski’s done a lot of stuff, so probably him, we do a lot of stuff with him.
It seems like an interesting [international] community you guys have formed, [especially] because a lot of them are in the European scene.
Yeah, they bring a different sound.
I didn’t really know Yung Lean, [and] he’s huge in Europe. As an American, I didn’t really know that much of that stuff. And you’re introducing me to that. It’s getting to cross that bridge... Are you traveling again soon?
Yeah, we’re supposed to be going to Asia and Europe and Australia.
Does your girlfriend come with you?
Yeah, we’re both on tour.We were just touring in Europe together… That was my second time. I was on tour before that. It was her first time in Europe though.
Did that blow her mind?
Yeah. It’s crazy because, even though it was my second time it was crazy… It’s like a movie.
It’s cool that you guys get to do that together, too. It must be fun. What’s your best memory of travelling with her?
I don’t know, the whole thing. Just everything, it was fun. It’s really crazy, a lot of people don’t get to do that so it was like… Because I didn’t see myself doing that, before I started doing it.
It’s great that you’re doing it because you’re talented and earned it, not just because you were given it.
Ah, thank you.
Drawing inspiration from Kendrick Lamar’s music videos and their poetic portrayal of black life in Los Angeles, the film features household names such as AJ Tracey and Kojey Radical spitting acapella freestyles, interspersed with clips of both the stark realities of life in poverty alongside positive images, such as black-owned businesses and rap battles in the underground music scene. It is a complete representation of the culture for those who are unfamiliar, an ever-important element to motivate throughout media. In a Q&A after the New York screening with Brandon "Jinx" Jenkins of Pigeons and Planes, he spoke with Caroline SM of XL Recordings/New Gen and artist Kojey Radical about recognizing the “accent and slang barrier” that occurs when American audiences digest U.K. hip-hop. But they have strived to make these images into something that we can all comprehend. As a black American, this film was a beautiful, and at times, unsettling reminder of just how much we have in common. Whatever was lost in “translation” on the album came across loud and clear in this visual interpretation, a significant experience worth having if you get the chance.
Striking, seductive, repulsive yet enticing, it evokes an apocalyptic energy that both compliments the music and enhances it in ways that are highly nuanced, creating new meaning to the lyrics by straying deep into the arena of performance art and multi-layered mediums. Giving us this inventive re-interpretation of music and it’s modern capabilities, forceful artist Anna Lann is proof we can all strive to carve out new and curious opportunities for the creative future.
