The music video for Tee Grizzley’s “Swear to God” featuring Future premiered Thursday night and its already the #7 trending video on YouTube. Before we jump into the visual’s merits, we can’t ignore that this record slaps.
MUSIC:
If you’ve already pressed play, you know the bars from the outset hit hard with Future starting off with the hook. He comes into the song spitting “F*** your album, sh*t ain’t slapping’ like my mixtape.” Let’s safely assume he means generally speaking and no one in particular, but you get the point. He goes on to say a couple of things that make sense visually, like “Thousand grams on a Cuban” and “Park a Ferrari in the trenches, feel like 2Pac.” More on that later. Let’s not forget this is Tee Grizzly’s record. He shows it with his commanding presence, which is only matched by his signature delivery. He starts his verse off with “My B**** ain’t got’ cheat unless it’s with a b**** we brought back home” queue visual, which is on the tamer side of the song if you know how Grizzly rocks with his lyrics. But the rest of the bars slap. This is a high-energy record that may shape up to become a bonafide summer anthem. Now, let’s jump into the video and break down what Tee Grizzly and Future did onscreen with “Swear to God.”
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THEME:
Directed by Jerry Production, “Swear to God” starts with hero shots of Future and Tee Grizzly in typical slow motion. The theme is clear – Excess, winning, and spectacle. Every frame exemplifies that theme. The director managed to get that across even in the first scene, seemingly at a gas station, but it felt like a high fashion car show. The bars match the theme. The excess is evident. Think “Wolf of Wall Street” – every scene is about money, winning, and reaping the rewards of success. The theme of excess, much like in “World of Wall Street,” is certified in “Swear to God.”
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Regarding cinematography, Jerry Production is skilled at shooting in low light. “Swear to God” is a nighttime shoot, and he pulled off the visual by leveraging the natural light provided by the sets. From the gas station floods to the jewelry showroom spotlighting, this helps hit the theme home, so shots of the diamonds on Tee Grizzly and Future’s wrists and neck are sparkling. The consistent pallet of blue, black, and cool grey felt natural and created an aesthetic that flowed effortlessly like the song’s lyrics. Jerry Production’s juxtaposition of light and darkness was a powerful metaphor for the struggles and triumphs depicted in the song’s lyrics.
STYLE:
The style in “Swear to God” was dripped out as expected, with Tee Grizzly flanked by Future. Some of the labels you can spot are Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Givenchy, to name a few. The Prada ensemble worn by Future was dope. It was almost like he was a shooter looking to spin the block but head to toe in the Italian label. But all the wear almost felt regular as the attention was more on their jewels. “1000 grams on a Cuban” was no hyperbole. They brought out the diamonds for this one, and it was almost overkill. Easily a million in jewelry on set. It is not confirmed, but it looked as such at a glance. The vehicles were nothing short of a display of supercars. The black-on-black Ferrari, Maybach, and yacht all made sense for a song about excess to where you gotta see it to believe it, swear to God.
RECAP:
The visual for “Swear to God” is a reminder of what hip-hop embodies more often than not – money, drip, and the power that comes from success. Tee Grizzly and Future made their presence felt with this record, and the notion of excess hit home in every scene. Director Jerry Production made it make sense with his impressive shooting style, which was more than your run-of-the-mill nighttime shoot. Excited to see what else this director has in store for us.
Watch it below.