23 - Say No More
23 has just dropped his brand new track called "Say No More". In the first verse, 23 lets us know about his current money situation by saying "money looking good but it ain't right yet" referring to us that although 23 is making a good amount of money that he is able to live off, it is still not the amount that he wants to be earning, and so he knows that he has to keep grinding until he gets to that stage where he is making the kind of money that he wants too. 23 then mentions "I remember when I couldn't get a look-in, 1 year later fly around the world on some bookings" this shows us the progression that 23 has taken over the last year, he tells us that a year ago he wasn't able to begin his rap career because he wasn't able to perform because he wasn't able to get in to anywhere, but now he is getting bookings that are taking him around the world to perform where he is enjoying what he is doing, reflecting how much can change in a year if you put in the work. Later, 23 mentions "old friends wanna pop up but they're history, can't forget the times they wasn't with me" giving us an insight into the previous years of 23's life, he lets us know that his old friends are trying to hang around with him again and link back up, but 23 knows that they weren't always with him in the times where he wasn't taking bookings around the world, maybe they weren't there when he was grinding to get where he is now, 23 remembers that and he knows that they ain't the right people to be around if they only come back when he is successful.
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The music begins up-beat and uses a steady but fast melody. The bass and hi-hats make the rhythm much more energetic and flow perfectly with the lyrics. The bass, hi-hats and the sound effects mix to create a unique and very powerful beat behind the lyrics, the beat is very anticipating and keeps you on your toes wondering what the next drop is going to sound like. During the initial verse, the melody is slowed down and uses a more paced beat as the lyrics also become slower, however the hi-hats and bass still make the rhythm feel electric even though the pace is quite slow. At 1:06 we see the beat makes a dramatic change, changing the rhythm and the melody pace of the track for that sequence, the bass and hi-hats are still present so although the beat has moved completely to utilise a different flow, the pace still feels faster that it should.
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The music video directed by '__KIRX' gives us a clear narrative and insight of 23's life, the introduction scene shows us that 23 had been / still is working in a shop to earn money. There are also some black flicker effects on the impact of the hi-hats to make the video seem faster and more up-beat to match the flow of the music. There are multiple different shots used in the video to show diversity; establishing shots, panning shots, tracking shots, medium shots, slo-motion shots and more. The first scene in the shop was also one long continuous shot, which means everything had to be set up perfectly and the camera had to be utilised perfectly for 39 seconds, reflecting skill and experience behind the camera.
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