Brooklyn’s emerging rapper, Radamiz, is a sage strategist. After spending an agonizing four-years arduously developing his inaugural project, Writeous—an introspective journey reflecting life’s continuous ebbs and flows on the path to one’s destiny—Radamiz has invested an inordinate amount of time, blood, and sweat meticulously chasing his potential and ensuring this project’s legacy—it bears his soul and vision; it is his autobiography.
Radamiz has supplemented this release’s awareness through performing, interviewing, and various marketing initiatives, including gripping, elucidating music videos. Over the past two-years, he’s released visuals for “New York Don’t Love Me,” “Ali’s My Big Brother,” “Sumner,” and as of yesterday, “poweR” featuring History. The Writeous unveiling has been an ambivalent, testing journey, filled with hope and doubt; highs and lows. But through it all, Radamiz has remained patient, vigilant. Writeous validates patience’s virtue. You can’t take his power.
Grainy aerial and wide-shot montages dissolve our being into Radamiz’ perspective. The video’s director, SwissArmyGuys, employs camera pans that reveal Radamiz’ surroundings: SoHo, Chinatown, and Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right. Ominous clips of gunmen and masked individuals—somewhat akin to Batman Begins rioting scenes—paint the song and video’s situational foundation that have molded Radamiz’ perception, and ingrained him in the city’s culture. The visual’s gritty aesthetic mimics the song’s raw energy—an energy that pumps Radamiz’ blood; an energy that cannot be trifled with.
By using sentimental locations—SoHo is the sight of his day job (Opening Ceremony); scenes in front of Baby’s All Right were shot after his headlining show with Dot Da Genius—Radamiz injects a heightened realism that reflects the song’s relatable, impassioned message: whenever someone feels that they’re sinking into their suffocating surroundings, whenever they feel hopeless or invisible, it’s key to remember that you wield the power to overcome situational limitations; you retain the tools to materialize your invisibility. No one can take your power.
Writeous continues to make an impact despite its 10-month-old release by Radamiz contextualizing his words through eye-catching videos. In a short-attention span music world, it’s exceedingly difficult to be heard amongst the crowded scene’s deafening noise. Radamiz, however, is loud—he is bold. He grasps onto his power with a deathlike grip. You can’t take it from him. Don’t even try.