What we see on this video is far from capturing the core of the “Nme Nme” gist, and so it is an unfitting representation from Clarence Peters ab initio.
Kill the sounds and watch the video again and what you see are images far off the expected, creating a skew of sorts on the overall depiction. There seems to be that strong need today to create videos that only tie in with mainstream sounds and wanton display of female bodies, obvious sex themes and the likes. But that’s not all there is to music; creativity is and remains the sole of the art.
Not that Nme Nme is a praise and worship number but sex cannot sell all the time, that’s the valid point we are trying to establish here. It mustn’t be all about lascivious displays and expressions. The mannequins are as unneeded as the lady who sits on Phyno’s “throne” making all those unnecessary sexy dance moves. The opening scenes with rooftop choreography isn’t in sync, Phyno’s appearance in that early part of the video is far from what the Nme Nme audience is all about, making this a little unlikely that majority of the target viewers are carried along. Look at Yemi Alade’s “Johnny” and “Kissing” videos if you don’t understand what we are saying here so that clarity can come. Flavour’s “Ada” video is also ideal in terms of what Nme Nme ought to be saying in areas of costume, presentation and visual craft.
Towards the end, there are efforts to revamp the central African theme that Nme Nme heavily transmits, there are handfuls of money flying about as Phyno performs on stage but not much is achieved in respect to portraying the desired Nme Nme image. Perhaps the guy clad in native doctor regalia should have been disrobed and sent miles away from the shoot. Or maybe it is the production team that fails to understand what the central idea of the song is about because I don’t how Nme Nme is a song for the gods or anything that signals ancestral worship and should necessitate having the native doctor figure. But hey, it is a Clarence shoot, so after all said anything can happen.
Henry Igwe (@ChibuzoHI)