The Artist Explains: Kareem Jamal - 'On The Way'
Nottingham-born creative Kareem Jamal talks us through all things, ‘On The Way’, which pokes fun at the lack of diversity and self-deceptive nature of commercial hip hop.
Where was the video for ‘On The Way’ filmed?
The video was filmed in two locations:
1) Canary Wharf carpark in London.
2) an abandoned warehouse in Nottingham where I’m originally born and raised.
How does the video connect with the song?
So the videos connection to the song was to convey the fact that many people in music videos and in the creative industry pretend to be something more than they are. I wanted to show that you don’t have to be too conceptual and overly think about every scene to make something look cool.
Could you tell us about the ideas/themes/imagery used and do you have any behind the scenes stories you can share with us?
I produced the narrative of friends / models just casually vibing and recreating the similar aesthetic that I like to demonstrate through my photography. - clean, contemporary but also with a nostalgic grime edge to it.
With regards to behind the scene stories we did have another location in mind in the night time however once all the props and equipment was set up it began to rain and unfortunately as it was an outdoor scene we couldn’t continue. This was what prompted the solo scene in the abandoned warehouse in Nottingham
The main theme was to ensure it fits in line with my continuous chilled natural vibes I shoot as a photographer and was my first attempt at merging my visual taste with my auditory preference too.
What do you hope people take away from watching the video?
I hope that more people that look can be inspired and motivated to created their own world so that people of minorities especially can feel they can be unapologetically themselves in a world where sometimes we are told how we should be and what we are allowed to say.
Interview feature by Karla Harris