Kasual OWNLY is Chicago's budding creative doyen that's been cultivating the impressionistic effects behind his Rap productions since 2016.
This year, the now home-grown name in Hip-hop endows his leading single from 2019, "Broke As F#$K," with an innovative visual feature, managing to enhance the experience ten-fold.
Slinking along the streets of Chicago with dollar-bills stapled across his body, Kasual OWNLY passes by mutual friends and strangers alike as they nonchalantly strip him of his cash and hurry past like they've got somewhere better to be, with him only countering their actions with a sense of dismay.
The title articulates the meaning behind his track as not being able to pay for the necessities in life, but as he barrels from scene to scene, recollecting his money with the slyness of a ninja, he ultimately confides in the fact that people are inclined to take from you in life, assuming things are free—as the money stapled to his skin. It's relatable speculation and a testament to the idea of looking after yourself by making sure you get paid for your worth.
"Broke As F#$K" and its carbonated outlooks glaze over cleverly constructed visual sequences, festooned with Kasual OWNLY's deep-rooted sonic fiber, interlocking between nostalgia-inductive melodies, hard-punched back-beats, and a crispy bark that draw-reminiscence to Kendrick Lamar, proving that, so far, only good things come when following his creative intuitions.
It's the hip-hop anthem for college students surviving on cheap ramen noodles, late-twenty-year-olds with a dried-up savings account, and the rest of us who get taken advantage of throughout life, and his latest visuals fit the irresistible soundtrack like a tailored glove.
Hello Kasual and welcome to BuzzMusic. How did you initially come up with the idea behind the dollar-bill and stapler conundrum you sketched-out during "Broke As F#$K?"
The root of the idea came from Isaiah Rashad's music video he shot to "4r Da Squaw" when everyone was walking around with a price on their head. So I thought why don't I build off that, but and put it in a more personal perspective. But once I made my way towards the middle of the video the puppet shows up to remind me that every little penny counts. Which came to the rest of the sketch where I retrieve every single dollar that was stolen from me.
What sorts of emotions were you trying to channel while filming the video feature for "Broke As F#$K"? Were there any moments during filming where you remember feeling angry or frustrated to convey the single's main message more clearly?
Honestly I the only emotion I had during the making of the music video was mostly happy lol. And no there weren't any frustrations angry emotions moments of any kind because all the feelings turn into something much more than negative emotions which made it funny on how broke I actually am.
What were some of the most significant learning experiences you can remember taking away from the production behind "Broke As F#$K's" music video?
One of the few significant learning experiences I was able to take away was detail because the more detailed you are the more clear the vision will be to create and capture. Another important learning moment was to be resourceful because there a couple of scenes and ideas that had to be rearranged, flipped, or added before, during, and after the video was completed.
If you could say a few words that would act as the prologue to the visual experience behind "Broke As F#$K," what would you feel the need to say, and why?
Prologue: There are only two things in the so called world that's absolutely priceless. Do you know what it is? Life and Death. Between the moment you are born all the way to the second you pass on everything will have a price. Some will overpay just so another person or company can get what they want and some will finesse just so they can have it all to themselves. Kasual isn't an unfair man but learns that being fair just isn't to make it thru this beautiful cruel world. The prologue would something like this because I've come to true realization that in this world it doesn't matter if your a good person, fair, very generous, or an all-around saint this money-hungry country will finically suck you dry as well as the citizens that live within it because it a survival tactic.
What can fans anticipate to hear next from you?
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