Desiigner adds to the list of rappers owning the scene at the moment with introspective lyrics and thought-provoking music videos.
In his new “Hood” MV, Desiigner, real name Sidney Selby, takes us to the neighborhood in Brooklyn where he grew up, offering a surprisingly sentimental look at childhood.
The clip follows the rapper returning to his stomping ground and being welcomed by his friends at a basketball court. Described as a “pharaoh in his neighborhood,” Selby reflects on the dangers, influences and struggles of growing up there.
The four-minute clip isn’t only about rose-tinted nostalgia—it’s laden with references to a fraught life in the projects. There’s a visual of a child witnessing a heated argument at home, kids smoking on the streets, and a young man running for his life from a shooting. Images of the victim and a vigil soon follow.
“I know n***as gettin’ bodied in their own hood / N***as lost they life in that childhood / And I don’t wanna lose my life,” he raps.
Watch it here: