Riky Rick’s cluster of clichés

The latter presumes an understanding of what audiences want and frequently mistake clichés for nuance.

One of these clichés is the apocalyptic trope found in the concept of Afrofuturism – an example that’s not too far from home is Khuli Chana’s One Source Live campaign.

The most recent artist to subject viewers to this torture of contrived imagery, anarchy and nonsensical apocalypse is Riky Rick in the video for 'I Can’t Believe It'.

The video’s opening scene shows a group of young men seemingly paying their last respects to a friend. Well, that’s the assumption until the same group of young men dance around half-naked, carrying blood in their pendant. Did they kill somebody and have a funeral for that person?

This cult of young men then senselessly tears through the street holding smoke bombs – an overdone convention these days. And we see them dancing as if in a trance. The visual story telling mimics an acid-trip marathon.

Another thing that makes this video uncomfortable to watch besides its lack of artistic creativity is its similarity to Jay Z and Kanye's 'No Church in the Wild', in which a mob is seen attacking police in a smoke filled city … for no reason. What happened to all the people living in the city?

One is left waiting for when mutants arrive in 'I Can’t Believe It’ – just so the absurdity is worth the waste of time. That never happens.

The video is a poor attempt at portraying Riky Rik as different from the family man he is portrayed as in 'Stay Shining' featuring Cassper Nyovest, Professor, Major League DJs and Ali Keys. It is typical of the scramble by South African artists to be seen as unusual but ends up as a work bereft of original thinking.

A hip hop video with booty and money everywhere is more entertaining than this clichéd attempt at being deep, or, as millennials say, being “woke”.

Artist: Riky Rick
Video: I Can’t Believe It
Label, Year: Sony Music Entertainment Africa, 2018