Video Shoot---- "In The Air (Hands Up)"

On an unseasonably warm March day, I was fortunate enough to witness the making of the video for "In The Air (Hands Up)", a dope song from the P.O.E.T. album Heartless.  With budding artist (and stepson) Coppa in tow, we trekked to infamous Graffiti Alley, aptly named because of the vibrant imagery of spray-painted graffiti infiltrating your senses in all directions.  If you've never been behind the industrial, art-deco enclave near North Avenue and Howard Street, you have not encountered the essence that is hip hop culture.  It served as the perfect location to film a video, at its core, that will visually showcase the simplicity and creativity that fueled the engine of hip hop in its infancy. 

Arriving at the shoot location, you could feel the positivity and electricity in the atmosphere, something that I have not always experienced on-set for a video.  Something indeed was different, as well as refreshing, with "In The Air (Hands Up)".  The song itself is a powerful vehicle unto itself, with the David Axelrod-driven sample and go-go inspired drums making way for dope lyricism by Baltimore native P.O.E.T.  To bring this musical concoction to a visual fruition, P.O.E.T. enlisted DMV-based videographer Abeni Nazeer (@abeninazeer).  It was quite evident from my arrival on set that she was in control without having to wield an iron fist for the shoot. 

The shoot itself lasted a few hours, with the bulk of the shooting at Graffiti Alley.  The Penn-North Subway Station was also used to piece the puzzle together (accompanied by a quick subway ride to Mondawmin Station and back).  The final cog for "In The Air (Hands Up) was a location shot at a rowhome in Southwest Baltimore.  I could go on for a good while about all the intricacies of the intensive video shoot and process, but I'm not here to bore you to pieces at this point.  Let's just say that the finished product is a result of the hard work and dedication of the entire crew that participated.  For now, I will let a few of the behind the scenes photos speak volumes about this project.

The finished product is a visual piece of artwork that melded the musical and visual for the creative entities involved.  Once you view the video, make certain that you go to http://www.IAmPoet.net for information regarding the dope album Heartless. 

 

YouTube Link:  http://youtu.be/yYGmFI4Arww

Special Twitter thanks goes to the entire crew involved in the creative process: 

      @IAmPoet87

      @abeninazeer

      @COMRADEmuzic

      @Misedukajation

      @Ajaycartoons

      @msmartin2u

Stay tuned for more insight into the ascension of P.O.E.T. within the hip hop realm in the DMV and beyond!

ONE LOVE!!!