Gang Starr and J.Cole return with the video for the well-received single “Family & Loyalty” which broke the decade-plus long silence from the legendary duo. For the video, DJ Premier reached out to hip-hop legend Fab 5 Freddy to help bring the visuals to life with clips of old footage and classic Gang Starr videos to tie everything up. Being this is the first-ever Gang Starr video to be shot ever since Guru died, the team had to go all out in preserving the energy and take into account the emotional aspect as well. The video starts with a will reading by Guru’s lawyer with Preem, Guru’s son Keith Casim, Big Shug and  J. Cole via video call and cuts to how Guru’s final instructions were being carried out. The video was shot on location in Harlem and Fayetteville, NC.

When discussing concepts for the video, DJ Premier went in with a very clear vision to share with Fab 5 Freddy.  “We have so much unused footage together (Guru and Premier), and with Guru’s lyrics I visualized him in the video as a picture book, a photo album that would capture our journey.”

Another very special and surreal aspect of Gang Starr’s “Family and Loyalty” video is that it captures a true full-circle, coming of age moment, as Guru’s son, Keith Casim, is an integral focus of the video. “Keith was nine when his father passed away and he is now nineteen. I used to babysit him. He (Guru’s son) made me feel like Guru was there with me” Premier lovingly stated. “I told him he has the same look in his eyes as his Father and everyone on set commented on how striking the resemblance is. It was really important to me to have Guru’s son be a major focus of the video. Keith is starting to really understand the legacy his father left behind and the whole team is sharing so many stories with him. We are honest with him, how much fun Guru and I had, the bad times, we are not sugarcoating anything; we want him to know his Father.”

“Family and Loyalty” Single is now available for purchase and streaming at your preferred DSP. Get it on all platforms here.

 

Keep up with Gang Starr  | FacebookTwitterInstagram

Keep up with  DJ Premier | WebsiteFacebookTwitterInstagram

Keep up with J. Cole  | FacebookTwitterInstagram

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