premiere: king youngblood declares black art is resistance in “yakubian antics”

“you better hope I don’t catch you
when I’m decolonized”

Seattle’s King Youngblood spent the summer organizing and participating in the now iconic CHOP. The quartet’s latest is both a document of the summer’s radical movement and a call to action for the future. Declaring in a pointed moment “this is step one of 10,000,” frontman Cameron Lavi-Jones pulls off what every punk band thinks they’re doing, but few actually are. It’s that rarest of beasts, actually sighted: art as activism. Of course it doesn’t hurt that the song itself is dope as all getout. With a serious intensity, the combustible hook bursts like a molotov cocktail out your speakers.

Adding fuel to the fire, is a video directed by the indefatigable Danny Denial. The multi-hyphenate masterfully balances the kinetic demands of the song with a powerful narrative and stirring footage of the movement. Danny Denial tells us “working with Cameron and King Youngblood was a fantastic experience because they really wanted me to portray truth in the black protestor experience; as someone living through the CHOP and daily protests since the summer, it resonates on a level I’m not seeing out there yet. What I love about working on this is we took the ideal of black artists working together, and having each other’s backs, and made it a reality. I hope if we learn anything from this year it’s that we are stronger as BIPOC artists together, and together can make work that endures all of this.”

Cameron adds, “this visual for Yakubian Antics is my proudest piece of art yet. It represents everything King Youngblood is and everything I care about in every sense. It is inherently unapologetic, socially conscious, and BIPOC as fuck. It showcases the powerful artistic and marginalized communities we hail from while simultaneously reminding folx to continue applying pressure in this movement, regardless of your proximity to the oppressors we face every day. It is intersectional at its core, as everyone – on both sides of the lense, comes from all walks of life and experiences and all have value. Our message is clear, America is on fire.  We believe in Black Art As Resistance.  Through our art, we are asking everyone to “Run The Fade on White Supremacy.”   

Keep up with King Youngblood on Instagram @kingyoungbloodmusic. And follow Danny Denial @fuckdannydenial.