What will the future hold? In the short term, we can imagine some pretty bad stuff: Tomorrow is the inauguration, and people are rightfully pissed about Donald Trump. But the years ahead will also contain all the vagaries of life and include plenty of ways to push back. We as individuals may find personal growth or tap into new ideas. There's more to life than bad news, fortunately.For Tunji Ige, there are plenty of said new ideas on the horizon. Last year's Missed Calls EP fleshed out his already exciting sound and increasingly built the case for him as one of the most inventive young producers working in hip-hop right now (a case he's expanded upon with the recent success of Khalid's "Location," which he co-produced). Now he's gearing up for a new album, and he has his first new music in more than six months on deck, just in time to offer an alternate future in the Trump era.Showcasing his overflow of ideas is the video for "Why Don't You," directed by longtime collaborator Glassface, which depicts Tunji riding through an alley in a sick sports car as images of hip-hop tropes flash by. Violent police, scantily clad women, a guy in a gas mask throwing money, and more intermingle as Tunji stares down the camera. There's a flash of anti-Trump graffiti—"We found the graffiti on set by the way!" Tunji tells me over email—and flashes of girls. Music is full of these contradictions, Tunji seems to hint, but that doesn't mean there isn't meaning to be found. Over emailed, he explained:
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Watch the video for "Why Don't You" below, and look for the full song, co-produced by Tunji and Heaven in Stereo, here at midnight.Follow Kyle Kramer on Twitter.I want to give the people what they want and show them what's really going on. My reality of being an artist in age where your more bound to win with streams and viral parodies, click bait to distract from the message at hand. Especially within my beloved genre of hip hop that is evolving into a scape of Auto-Tune 808s. How does one stand out and how can one still get the message across? I feel like this piece of art gives the people everything they want and more, maybe a little more than they can handle, through my eyes.