Swagger Rite takes aim at gun violence in his emotionally challenging new single and video Sticky — premiering today on Tinnitist.
A slow and melancholy track, featuring gloomy piano lines and a classic triple timed high-hat beat, Sticky showcases Swagger’s sorrowful verses. The track was recorded last year, but Swagger Rite chose to release it now because of the current state of the world. Systemic racism has always been an important issue for the Torontonian, and he is using his platform as an artist to share his personal experiences.
“Sticky is not just about the gun violence happening in our city,” Swagger. “This song is dedicated to the current times we are living in. We are losing people to ‘sticky’ situations. People not protecting themselves when they are leaving their homes, people dying from this pandemic, Black men and women dying at the hands of the police … We are literally living in what it seems like the end of times. Being a rapper, I wonder why it feels like I’m being watched, but not protected. They would rather see me in cuffs then help me build in my community.
“We all have our codes, but I hope one day we can all come together and find human ground. There is no reason for someone to leave this earth by gun violence. I think we can all talk more, figure this out more — but, I will protect myself and my family. This is not negotiable. Everything else is sticky, but not them.”
To accompany the drop of Sticky, Swagger Rite releases an epic and motivated cinematic video. Filmed in November 2019 in a funeral parlor, it touches on God/Death imagery to push the narrative of loss, retaliation, street violence and how money can have an effect on the choices we make daily. It was filmed and directed by Rodzilla, co-directed by Troy Crossfield from Crossfield House Productions, and was scripted and plotted to echo the passion and pain that spurred Swagger Rite.
“I created this song and visual long before any of the recent news because these are issues that have always been, and continue to be rampant. We are in times of change globally, and systemic change is needed in Canada to address society’s deep shortcomings. The video was made in an effort to expose and challenge how society can change for the better.”
Watch Sticky above and follow Swagger Rite on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
