California-based producer Jansport J is set to release his p h a r o a h album on January 27th on Delicious Vinyl records. Jansport has said that the album was in part inspired by a New York City snowstorm. There’s no snow in the “p h a r o a h” video he just dropped for the project, but the sonics are right in time for a frigid New York winter.
The Jay Sprogell-directed video contains two instrumental cuts from the upcoming album, “DatsRightChyall” and “BKNY.” As Jansport is beamed down into midtown New York from a saucer, a bombastic, lively loop blares over thick drums. The dissonant, otherworldy vocal effects on “DatsRightChyall” fit the aesthetic of the video’s first half, as a pixelating Jansport stumbles down the street. The cinematography gives off a vibe somewhere in between an extra terrestrial’s first moment on earth and a bad trip—but it works.
The video’s second track, “BKNY” is paired with highlights of Jansport playing basketball at a court. The scene cleverly harkens to the 90s, a time when the coalescence of hip-hop, basketball and marketing was in it’s infancy. As the dusty drums and high pitched keys charge through the beat, one starts to think Jansport could just as easily be replaced by a prime Grant Hill or Larry Johnson showing off their moves. It’s a nostalgic moment smack in the midst of 2017, which properly whets the appetite for the rest of p h a r o a h. You can pre-order the project here.
