Bas Drops 2 New Videos & Makes ‘Too High To Riot’ A Visual Masterpiece

Just a couple of weeks since his Too High to Riot documentary was released, Bas has shared not one, but two videos for songs off his 2016 album of the same name. Today (February 17), the Dreamville rapper unveils visuals for “Live For” and “Penthouse,” marking the seventh and eighth videos from his sophomore LP. The New York (by way of Paris, France) artist has proven himself to be one of the most visually driven of his generation, given that eight out of twelve tracks were given the music-video treatment. Ranging from the highly conceptual (see: “Ricochet”), the absurd (see: “Clouds Never Get Old”), and the ominous (see: “Matches”), Bas has proven time and time again that his artistry goes beyond the booth or the stage.

Ab-Soul & Bas Are Out Of Sight…All the Way in Paris (Video)

“Live For”is Too High to Riot‘s most personal inclusion, a song in which Bas reflects on his aunt’s sickness and eventual death. For the video, he kept it simple from a conceptual standpoint, as he spends most of it walking through a forest of bamboo. Like several of his other videos, profile angles and angles looking up from below are implemented and grainy filtering gives it a nostalgic feel.

In contrast, “Penthouse” is far more colorful, filmed in the streets of Japan (likely where “Live For” was also filmed). In the video, Bas stands apart from the cityscape, very clearly different in appearance from the throngs surrounding him but also comfortable in his surroundings. Both videos are directed by Paris-based directed Ryan Doubiago.

Will Bas make Too High to Riot a complete visual journey by releasing videos for “Miles and Miles” and “Black Owned Business”? It seems entirely plausible, and his recent tweet in which he said “closing chapters” could perhaps be a veiled reference to exactly that…