Asaad: New Black ® History
When CL first sent me Asaad’s music I listened to LVMH first, and then immediately listened to all of #dirtymiddleclass – I wanted to hear more. The music was at once visceral and intellectual. Elements of trap music were laid over soulful samples, thoughtful over-your-head wordplay was mixed with ignorant one-liners, and it worked. On top of wanting to hear more, I wanted to know more about the artist. I saw names like Bink! on production, dozens of songs on Youtube, one video interview and one music video, but almost no information about who Asaad was. This dude was on some The Weeknd meets MF DOOM shit.
We reached out to Asaad to do a short interview, because we felt we could capture a bit more about the artist that others had not been able to capture yet. Upon meeting Asaad, it was clear that a short interview would not suffice in portraying who this multi-faceted artist was. Asaad and I both felt that the world needed to see who he was. A few hours turned into several days, and I had the opportunity to document the entire process during multiple trips by Asaad & his team to New York City. I tried to piece together who Asaad was, for myself, and for anyone viewing this piece – and as I made the transition from fan, to documentarian, to friend, it became clear that there are many sides to the enigmatic Asaad. My hope with this documentary is that current fans, potential fans, and haters alike will be able to get a better understanding of who this artist is. Fuck with him or not, it’s clear that he’s not stopping anytime soon. This is Asaad.




