Siimba Liives Long is the bonkers name of a Brooklyn-based emcee who, unsurprisingly, released a new video featuring cheetahs and lions for his song "W.I.A." Shot at Siimba's childhood stomping grounds in Ethiopia, the Magnus Jonsson directed video has everything great: 1) exotic animals; and, 2) quality music. It's a formula that has worked for Siimba before. For "W.I.A," producer MF Love lays down a refreshing, 70s-inspired funk bassline for the rapper's relaxed flow to dance over. He dominates verses that are some parts bravado—challenging listeners to "bask in the glory"—while others parts take up darker themes. Set to the upbeat groove and walking through Ethiopian streets, Siimba talks about being a "product of [his] environment" but "some environments [are] violent." "Lots of my homies dyin'," he mourns."The video is my second video off of my sonic series, Zemenay's Gemiinii," Siimba Liives Long says, "[It's] actually a pretty dark project but I wanted to ease people in with things that are lighter from a sonic standpoint. We shot the video at the same time as we did [another video for] "Cocaine Bimbie," so they are both intentionally supposed to have a similar theme and aesthetic and I think it was important to shoot my first to visuals back in Ethiopia and South Africa, two places that are very close to my heart." Watch "W.I.A" below:Devin Pacholik is allergic to cats. Follow him on Twitter.
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