Sauti Sol’s Range Rover Illuminated



Truth be told, probably you are like me who after watching Sauti Sol’s new video, Range Rover, for the first time did not have the slightest idea what the band was trying to depict. Well, I finally fathomed it. Here is how it plays out;

Fast off, Range Rover is highly stylized and the storyline - all about the "volitility of wealth" - is more abstract. Shots of the couture-clad band members are interposed with images of a graceful model (Nella Ngingo) artfully awakening and stepping into a bath. Other shots show the sexy car itself (by the way at first, you might even think the clip is a car ad) and a table mimicking the last supper complete with overflowing with wine, fruits and other delicacies. There's even a random chicken and an old Caucasian woman stroking it.

The storyline revolves around band member Bien-Aime having it all; fame, a new car (Range Rover Evoque). As the story progresses he slowly loses all he has acquired, thanks to his friends who play with his car and his girl and his rooster, before betraying him after sharing a meal with him.
 
"Everyone is trying to make money," said band member Willis Chimano. "Young people in Kenya are trying to hustle, entrepreneur... it's the point we are at." The band emphasised that while they thought the entrepreneurial spirit was a good thing, they wanted young people to remember that money isn't the most important thing. Besides, as this video shows, "one day you have it and the next, it is all gone."

What perhaps makes the video difficult to comprehend is that each shot has a hidden meaning. For instance, the rooster represents Sauti Sol's coat of arms and other scenes represent Bien-Aime’s ephemeral bling lifestyle. The video was shot at an old bullet factory that’s now an official cultural heritage site popularly referred to as “the cathedral” in Netherlands. The old lady, Jeannette –93, was chaperoning the rooster together with its owner Tonny