Obongjayar never stops in his “10K” video
Taken from new EP Which Way Is Forward?
In the two years since Obongjayar dropped his last EP, Bassey, he's worked extensively with both Danny Brown and the Everything Is Recorded collective. However, he's also lived through a period of immense tension and division that has slowly seeped into his own solo music. Released today, his third EP Which Way Is Forward? looks for answers amid global chaos.
Obongjayar headed to Lagos, Nigeria to shoot the video for EP track "10K," premiering below. In the video the British-Nigerian artist is a man who can "never settle" and is caught between worlds, watching on as big-muscled bodybuilders work out and lapdancers grind in dark nightclub corners. "I wake up every morning and I run," he sings in his trademark hoarse delivery, the video reflecting the energy of someone trying to prove themselves in a new place.
Speaking to The FADER via email, Obongjayar said: "'10K' is a song about survival. Wanting better for yourself, and how quick to move you have to be if you want to achieve that. Whether you work a 9-5 or whatever, or you’re an immigrant reaching for better opportunities, you’ve got to move quick. The world is changing at lightning speed, match its pace or get run over.
"Which Way Is Forward? is a project that touches on cleaning house, looking inwards, reconciling your demons. It’s a project that asks the question - what are we even doing? Because it feels like we’ve tried everything and gone in every direction and always end up where where we started …. chaos."
Listen to Which Way Is Forward? below.