Austin rapper Branden Rex spreads a message of hope in perilous times on his visuals for the DJ Brimlo-produced “50¢ Wings.” Stylishly shot by local filmmaker Americo Siller, the video matches the song’s musical lope and lyrical tone.
The new clip features Rex taking a backseat to skilled roller skater De’von Harley. The MC is seen playing hoops with friends and taking a free throw, but soon he and the game give way to Harley’s freestyle moves. Rex says he wrote the track in defiance.
“To show the world who I was, and what I’m capable of, regardless of who agrees,” he states.
The Milwaukee-born rapper also touches on his biracial identity.
“The struggle of trying to identify with both races was never as much of a challenge for me as it was for people around me,” says the wordsmith. “Growing up, my black friends called me white because of the way I would talk sometimes, or where my parents sent me to school. Whereas to all my white friends, I was their ‘black friend.’
“All of this, alongside the common struggle of just being black in America, influenced my outlook on a lot of things.”
This article appears in June 2 • 2017.
