The Roots Ponder Salvation in ‘Never’ Music Video

The Roots have released a haunting new clip for the track “Never,” which appears on their most recent album, …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin. The video evokes the idea of being left behind on Earth after the Rapture. Director Dano Cerny — the filmmaker behind TV on the Radio’s “Killer Krane” and Far East Movement’s “Change Your Life” — uses sweeping overhead shots to emulate the point of view of a higher being looking down at a desolate metropolis.

See Why the Roots Made Rolling Stone’s List of the New Immortals

The video follows a man’s journey, set to the sparse sound of tense strings, through the deserted streets as he encounters grotesquely mutated people. Although he seeks escape, the man constantly finds that he’s right back where he started. Frontman Black Thought lyrically complements the video, flipping Nas’ “Life’s a Bitch” as he raps, “Life’s a bitch, then you live/Until one day by death you’re found.” Although there’s a glimmer of hope at the end of the video, it may only be a fever dream. 

The Roots previously shared a trippy stop-motion video for “Understand” and released the buoyant track “Tomorrow.” They recently performed two sets — one headlining and one supporting Snoop Dogg — at the seventh annual Roots Picnic and will also play a show at Radio City Music Hall on June 24th with Dave Chappelle.