Kamasi Washington Ignites Arcade Showdown in ‘Street Fighter Mas’ Video
Two days before the arrival of Kamasi Washington’s new album Heaven and Earth, the saxophonist unveiled the video for “Street Fighter Mas.”
The video keeps true to the song title as the stylistic, AG Rojas-directed video hypes an impending showdown that culminates with Washington and his nemesis facing off in the beloved arcade game.
“I love inhabiting Kamasi’s world, and ‘Street Fighter Mas’ was an opportunity to take a left turn and explore the surreal qualities of that world,” Rojas said of the video in a statement.
“When Kamasi told me the background of the song, how Street Fighter was a safe space for him—it took me back to the supermarket down the street from my childhood home where my brother and I would try and get in as many games before our mother was finished shopping. It was a true labor of love for everyone involved, coming from a desire to interpret the cinematic qualities of the track into something equally unpredictable, familiar, absurd and ultimately triumphant.”
The video features cameos by Los Angeles musician BattleCat and Street Fighter pros Gootecks and Combofiend, who plays Washington’s adversary in the final fight.
Heaven and Earth, Washington’s full-length follow-up to his acclaimed 2015 LP The Epic, arrives June 22nd.