Music

the fierce feminism of leikeli47’s “no reload” video

March 14, 2019
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The first thing to point out about Leikeli47’s deliciously minimalist, black and white video for “No Reload” is how tight the Brooklyn MC’s balaklava game has become. This one, custom-made by A Million Cashiro, is adorned with simple but brilliant rhinestone lashes, and with face jewelry that simultaneously invokes tears, ceremonial face-paint and the masks of exotic dancers. It all says a hell of a lot with very little, saving the focus for the quick cuts to a dancer (Clarys) and to the track, which Leikeli has described as “trap self-care.” 

Directed by the rapper and her partner Dana Rice, the “No Reload” visual feels like another fierce but compact assertion of self-empowerment, of hip-hop feminism circa now, and perfect for Women’s History Month… if you believe that history is still being made every damn day. Which it is.

(Lyrial bonus points for the shout-out to NOLA-bounce-MC-turned-women’s empowerment-spokesperson Keedy Black, and for the DJ-centric line about the only time reloads are, acceptable.)

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