Mykki Blanco - The Initiation

Rapper, poet and performance artist Mykki Blanco’s videos are always worth looking out for, from the aggressive statement that is Join My Militia to 2012’s hyperbolically opulent Wavvy, and her latest MOCA -sponsored clip, for The Initiation, is no different. As Mykki sneers through the Latin lyrics, director Ninian Doff builds a thrilling mini-dystopia in which some people have a second face on the tops of their heads, which they have to hide with hats for fear of being caught by the Feds. When not monitored, though, these people take to all fours to prowl through backstreets, as Mykki demonstrates, before winding up taking part in an underground cage fight. It touches on a simmering storm of ideas around the theme of being persecuted for hidden identities, and is a wonderfully tense and engaging reminder of why Mykki Blanco is still one of the most exciting performers of 2013.

UNO NYC released Blanco’s ‘Betty Rubble: The Initiation’ EP on the 21st May 2013.