While thumbing through Facebook status updates this morning, I came across a line of text outlining the birth of MTV in 1981 and how prophetic its first video, “Video Killed the Radio Star,” truly was. It went on to say socially aware artists were replaced by boy bands and sexual icons. The imagery was supposed to outline a decline of music and an increase of arrogance brought on by MTV, while suggesting there was no art to music videos.

Growing up watching music videos, I know that was not the case. As a teenager, yes I was drawn to the videos that featured sex, but I was also drawn to the bra section of the JC Penney’s catalog. I was their demographic. I didn’t have a critical palate, but I was still aware of videos as art (see: every Michael Jackson video, most Peter Gabriel videos, some Queen videos, Genesis claymation, etc.).

Cut to an hour later. I received an email from Denver, Colorado’s SF1 letting us know he was starting a Kickstarter campaign to shoot a video for “Rhapsody,” the latest single from his sophomore album: Inamorata. So was this going to be art or fall in line with the criticisms of an unnamed individual who was mad at MTV?
Based on what he has said, it was a whole lot more of the former:

[Rhapsody] has an Indian/Middle Eastern sound to the composition so when performed live, I feature the lovely dancers from the non profit organization, Mudra Dance Studio, onstage with me. The sight and sound of mixing both Indian Dance/Music and Hip Hop is innovative and breathtaking and we really want to make music video for the piece incorporating all of these elements.

SF1 & Mudra Dancers

While using the words “non profit organization” is always a good first step, watching him perform with the Mudra dancers is pretty awesome.  The sound is electric, the choreography is mesmerizing, and it would make a fantastic video.  We are throwing our support behind this Kickstarter campaign, not just to support local musicians, but to prove a Facebook status update wrong.  Win-win, right?

So here’s the thing: the Kickstarter campaign is only up for 30 days.  If you want to raise money to contribute, get a head start on that bake sale or take your empty bottles back asap.  SF1 is looking to raise $2,500 and is offering some cool stuff  (including a cover of your favorite hip-hop song on YouTube, or a concert in your living room for you and your friends).  Check out his Kickstarter page here.

I will have more on the album later, but for now I am focusing on the video.  Enjoy the single and some imagery of what the video might look like below.