On Monday Chicago rapper Nick Astro kicked off the rollout of his forthcoming EP, Nothing Is Original, with a video for a tune called “Black Interlude.” The MC packs quite a bit of fun into a song that barely crosses the one-minute mark by contorting his affable, easygoing flow with knotty syllables and Kanye-isms while name-dropping Wu-Tang, King Louie, and Lupe Fiasco. Astro’s performance is a bright contrast to producer Dee Lilly’s instrumental, which is anchored by low-rumbling, squelching synths and spastic, sparse percussion; with the rapper’s voice in the mix it makes for a lively joint. The video hints at the amusement Astro conveys in his performance, with quick skateboarding shots spliced between images of the MC’s silhouette shown through a dark filter that looks like it could be one of the effects lifted from Apple’s Photo Booth. Take a peek at the video below—it’s today’s 12 O’Clock Track—and keep an eye out for Nothing Is Original.
