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 Ngi
ngo)
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."
Wh
at
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
