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Grafh - "Put It In The Air"
Posted on June 28, 2005 1:39 AM
“The Adventures of Grafh” Vol 1., Issue #1! Definitely a collector’s edition.
To what do we owe the pleasure of this moving comic book? Queens native Grafh apparently decided that there should be a video for his already year-old mixtape cover of M.O.P. and Jay-Z’s “Put It In The Air.” [watch it now]
This is how a low-budget video should be done.
If all you have is a camcorder and you really need to make a Smack DVD-esque music video for your mixtape song… At least give your viewers some credit as intellectual beings. Besides Mighty Casey, G-R is the only rapper I’ve ever observed walking this balance successfully.
The song itself is Grafh’s mixtape manifesto. The 4-minute plus barrage of articulate lyricism wrapped in thug braggadocio is matched nearly word-for-word by what could be considered “special effects.” Them effects certainly are special. Someone went to fucking work in the editing room. This very well may have been a series of shots taken with the Smack Magazine DVD camcorder painstakingly arranged and enhanced by a tech nerd that Grafh is cool with.
Frame after frame of incessant movement is not for everyone. (See: Juelz Santana – “Mic Check”) Camera shots as capricious as Grafh’s delivery can make for a dual headache if you are not into dense, heady lyrics. In other words, if you’re looking for something to sip syrup to, this might not be the video for you. However, you may be able to burn a jay and find the visual effects a lot more enthralling than they actually are. That’s always fun, right?
I know it’s just a camcorder video, but why merely hide behind the geeky editor? Obviously a ton of work went into the post-production of this composition. Still, the video could have been a lot better if Grafh were clever or motivated enough to do more than post up in one spot (both daytime and night) surrounded by fiendish goons and man-groupies. Speaking of man-groupies… I do give the man props for not parading a chorus line of hoochies in this video. That is appreciated. Unfortunately, he spends most of his time playing into every other stereotype that defines hip-hop culture in the eye of the general public.
Grafh has the most interesting style and delivery I’ve heard in years. I will admit that this song opened my ears to his work a year ago (as “Bang Out” didn’t quite do the job). Unfortunately, I still see Grafh as another NY rapper who has yet to live up to his potential. Since this drop, I’ve been disappointed by his features and mixtape songs. Perhaps his razzle-dazzle effect wears off after a while of lacking actual substance. As was the case with this video, even the camera tricks couldn’t keep me interested until the end after the first viewing.
Questions? Comments? Requests? Confused about what exactly to put in the air? ronnie_mexxx@yahoo.com… because it’s probably not what you’re thinking.
P.S.: Could anyone explain why the man is so obsessed with formally introducing himself? It's really on some Tourette's Syndrome shit.
Comments
Holy Battle Rapper Batman!!!!!! I would've given the dude a pass if he had on the costume. All of the Pow!! Boom!!! shit was a little tiring. Was that edited with Windows Movie Maker? Was this someone's film class project? I felt like I was watching Rap City's booth segment.
He stated "I got the city on my back",probably trying to stop him from putting out this bullshit. Mex, you truly called it when referencing SMACK .I would've been ok if this was on SMACK, but you don't come out like this, you just don't do it.
He keeps introducing himself because cocaine is a hell of a drug.
YOU CAN TELL HE IS NOW MANAGED BY DAME DASH. TRASH EPICUREAN.
to me homie sounds like a typical new york rapper.thats the only thing i dont like about NY alot of cats sound the same.his grafh-ics were fuckin my head up,this shits actually enuff to kill a buzz.what wonder ya older brothers camcorder and that nerdy kid from 6th period computer class do when you need a video............
Do the skull heads on his shirt and in his bandana represent an 80's metal movement?
That skull shit is a punk rock band called Corrosion of Conformity. Good eye Sincere.
Yeah..ok-to be perfectly honest, I hated the whole thing. I couldn't even stand to watch the whole video. How did he get a record deal? Was the company that desperate for an artist?
Thanks for the info cb dubb. I thought he was trying to bring back The Punisher shirts already done by Big Pun (R.I.P) and Big Ill from the now defunct Ill Al Scratch.
Ill Al Scratch?!!!! Boy oh boy. I am not worthy...I am not worthy.. you pulled that out ya ass.
Soo Sincere, yo I never made that link before. Big Pun and his "The Punisher" t-shirts. Aight aight.
Where my hoooooooomies?
yeah um... go hear the preview... its hot shit foreal. but yeah man, this is the true definition of "NO BUDGET"
he came out the liquor store with his boy and his boy was like "yo yo grafh, would it be hot if we told maurice to bring his camcorder down here and shoot a video?" and grafh was like " hmmmmm, u aint lyin, get those homeless niggas up the block and give em $10 a peice to stand behind me"
did anyone notice that shirt lookin a lil tooo small? i know it aint just me...hahaha
Ron Mex u crazy for this one...ima scout and find more stupid videos for u to get paid to watch...haha,
p-p-p-p-p GAMBIT lol
Creepin' through the hood! Up to no good!...(In my best Al Scratch voice)Come around my way. Come around my way.
Damn this video really looks like a home video production. Something that Grafh and the crew could sit back and smoke an L to while they talk about how hot their man is. No way they actually expected this to get any air play.
Grafh actually is nice, but if this is the budget he's working with, maybe he should put his hands in the air and just give up this rapping thing.
Not the video to watch if you suffer from EPILEPSY, but I am still going to give credit where credit is due. HIs budget is low but he did his best, he tried to be different, and he didn't have RANDOM BITCHES from around the way pointlessly jigglin' their titties in front of the camera.
Many people may not be feeling him as a lyricist, but his flow is tight, and I can honestly say I enjoyed listeneing to him.
That's all folks.
honestly, this video sucks. Aesop Rock has a better comic book style video and he prob has the same budget.
I love Grafh and this song is tight, but the vid with him and Stat Quo would have been a better pick to convert first time listeners to G-R.
I guess you are right. His lyrics are alright. This has got to be one of the rare songs in which the video makes the song much worse than it actually is.
Trina, I agree with you on that, except i would flip and say that the song makes the video easier to watch. That's skills right there! ;o)
who better than me? huh? crazy?
jayz eminem? huh? maybe?
lol so simple yet so clever
grafh nucca
"WOOOOOW " quoting cassidy...for effect
Video was OK. He should take a nod from videos from the early nineties like Jeru the Damaja and Pharcydes earlier stuff. Even Nas's post Live from the BBQ shit like Half-time.
Grafh has the potential to be an ill rapper but he needs to catch up to his competition Papoose and Saigon.
This nigga look like a bootleg game. Video was umm uhuh. I wasnt really int it. He sounds like one of those cats I would have to make myself listen to. The nigga is a alright mixtape artist. Thats just the thing, some mixtape artist cant make an album for shit. I have seen it too many times. One of my favorite mixtape rappers is Jae Millz. On the mixtapes he be killn em. That no no no, wasnt him. If u dont like it, fuck it take it to the stage. Holla
You know something, what is going on with Jae Mills? He's really skilled. WHen he was battling NESS on Making the Band, he did his thing. NESS had to curse like every two words (although I do think NESS is nice), but Jae Mills didn't curse once. That's one articulate rapper. I dig that.
listen the video is "underground" nigga
i looked into some otha tapes and records yo "Grafh" is sick as shit.
the video ain't all that but the artist is before his time
he can eat all these mainstream rappers period.....
I think a focused Grafh could be the sickest rapper in the game... agreed.
blackhanders stand up! yall gettin way too heated bout the video. its for a fuckin mixtape, aint no need to waste ya money. and that shirt that could be a little bigger is just his style. jimmy jones be rockin abercrombie & fitch and surfer shirts and nobody be sayin much. let people do they thing and respect they gangsta.
by the way, grafh doin his thing in london (check out the say yeah video with m triple), the preview mixtape is out, he already killed it with the oracle mixtape and the bang out mixtape. grafh got shaken up when rocafella split, but he cool now. no homo. holla at his website: www.grafh.com
Y'all niggaz critique ain't on point. The lyrics are above any rapper on the mainstream right now, and if you pay attention to ya music stores, the video ain't made for MTV, BET and that bullshit. The nigga made it for his new mixtape, The Preview. of course it's gonna be low-budget. I'd say most of the niggaz on here said the video was weak cuz it wasn't full of a whole bunch of bitches. He had his crew, Blackhand, behind him in the video (yeah, they that damn deep), as most rap niggaz do in they videos. The whole thing is intended as "street material", so don't try to compare to something like Puffy and Biggie's "Victory" or something like that, cuz that's not what it is. Oh, and it was actually on the SMACK DVD a couple months ago, for the niggaz not on they street game...and Tammy, Millz crushed the shit outta Ness, but he cussed twice.
Grafh you that nigga fam word to everybody mother and it's bout time the block get blessed with that Autograph. I met you in VA thru my nigga Wayne but b4 that i heard some shit i aint never heard b4 you gotta be one of the hottest niggas out there nigga and on some real shit aint nobody fuckin w/u fam
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