Common has unveiled the music video for “Kingdom”, the lead single off his upcoming 10th album, Nobody’s Smiling. Directed by the iconic Hype Williams, the video serves as a stunning and cinematic accompaniment to the forceful track, exploring the same issues of inner-city struggle, persecution, and redemption with a similar sense of deftness.
While the video has a rather basic narrative arc (a young woman’s journey through the streets leading to her arrest), the true power lies in the minutia of the imagery. Here, close-up shots and an emphasis on details lend beauty to the gritty day-to-day routine and a sense of harsh reality to more “glamorous” notions like fancy cars and strip clubs.
Watch it below:
Produced by No I.D., Nobody’s Smiling is due out July 22nd via Def Jam. For more sounds, check out “War” and the Ab-Soul-aided “Made In Black America”.
