Video: Saba – “TimeZone”/”Whip (areyoudown?)”
Inspired by Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor Cover and Debuted by Noisey, the 21-Year-Old Emcee/Producer Delivers Sci-Fi ComfortZone Video
11.12.2015
Critical Praise for Saba:
“Saba is up next.” – Billboard
“Saba is savvy with words.” – TheFADER
From poet to exploratory rapper, Saba could be the new voice of Chicago’s West Side. – Noisey
“One of Chicago rapper Saba’s greatest strengths in a still developing arsenal is a graceful capacity for capturing the weight of growing up in the scarred city with an insight and mournfulness typically reserved for older observers.” –Pigeons and Planes
“Saba’s been deconstructing the space-time continuum for years.” – Passion of the Weiss
The Video:
21-year-old Chicago emcee/producer Saba is following his recent collaboration alongside Chance the Rapper on the fellow Chicago artist’s “Angels” single, which they debuted on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, with a new release of his own. “TimeZone”/”Whip (areyoudown?)” merges two singles from 2014’s break-out project, ComfortZone. Directed by Tom Vin, the video was inspired by Lupe Fiasco‘s Food & Liquor cover art. “That was one of the first rap albums that I was super connected to and super in love with the sound of it,” Saba told Noisey in their premiere post. “So that was like a no-brainer to be like ‘let’s try to visualize this and make it a motion picture kind of deal where we take a picture and add some life to it.’has the emcee/producer from Chicago’s West Side journeying through a surreal world.”
Named one of Complex‘s “20 Rappers To Watch Out for in 2015,” Saba joined the city’s new wave of bubbling talent with undeniable energy and a distinctive sound carved from a diverse set of influences. Born to a family of musical talent, Saba grew up to the sounds of soul, R&B, and jazz thanks to his father. At age 16, Saba joined the YOUMedia Center, where he first met Chance the Rapper, and Young Chicago Authors, which he credits with giving him the confidence and charisma to perform onstage. In 2013, Saba appeared on Chance’s Acid Rap deep cut “Everybody’s Something,” and earlier this year he was featured on Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment’s “SmthnthtIwnt.” Additionally, Saba’s collaborated with Tink on their loose single “Temporary” and contributed to Mick Jenkins’ Wave[s] project on the song “Slumber.”
Saba’s acclaimed 14-track release ComfortZone is both autobiographical and reflective, a bittersweet window into the young emcee’s upbringing in a culturally rich yet troubled city. He followed ComfortZone with an instrumental EP, SpareChange!, which debuted via The FADER in September. With a growing body of impressive work under his belt, the budding 21 year-old artist is just getting started. Those in Chicago can catch Saba on November 21st for his headlining show at Abbey Pub, with support from Noname Gypsy, Ravyn Lenae, and Monte Booker + Smino.
Watch “TimeZone”/“Whip (areyoudown?)” [Dir. by Tom Vin]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnyNwo_tqRw
Check out the Noisey premiere: http://noisey.vice.com/blog/saba-timezone-whip-areyoudown-video-premiere
Stream or download Saba’s ComfortZone project: https://soundcloud.com/sabapivot/sets/comfortzone
Stream Saba’s SpareChange! instrumental EP: https://soundcloud.com/sabapivot/sets/sparechange
Purchase tickets to Saba’s November 21st show at Abbey Pub in Chicago: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=6280655
Please contact Michelle or Rory if interested in talking with Saba.
Links:
official site | twitter | facebook | youtube | soundcloud
“TimeZone”/”Whip (areyoudown?)”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnyNwo_tqRw
“Angels”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k55k1gr002c
SpareChange!: https://soundcloud.com/sabapivot/sets/sparechange
ComfortZone: https://soundcloud.com/sabapivot/sets/comfortzone