On March 29th, Grand Rapid’s very own Triple Threat Militia released their debut visual, “I Need it Now.”  This is the Triple Threat Militia’s first official music video.  This iconic video was directed by David Brooks & the video stars Shabazz, Prophet, and Tas the Rebel with a cameo from the whole militia as well.  Triple Threat Militia has definitely stepped up the visual game with this one.  With everyone making videos these days, they really set the bar on the production value and quality.

My favorite scenes in this video are Shabazz wilding out in the smoked out car.  There is also a long detailed story about the trouble shooting the smoke scene if you ever get the chance to act Shabazz.  The lighting with the smoke looked truly cinematic.  After talking with guys, they said they hauled a smoke machine all the way to the shoot.  They were not playing games on this video.  The beat flows effortlessly with the visuals, so there is never a dull point through the entire video.  With each location and scene, so unique and striking, it paints a picture of a day with the militia.

I cannot praise these guys enough. I met the Militia through Shabazz around August this summer and we’ve been collaborating ever since.  The Triple Threat Militia initially got their start performing in the underground punk / rock scene as the only hip hop group.  They were performing in basements and punk shows a couple years ago.  Nowadays, Shabazz is a regular opener and performer at the Intersection and won Mike G’s “Hip Hop Heavy Weights.” Needless to say, Shabazz and the Militia have been making a name for themselves in recent months.

Interestingly enough, the “party scene” was after a summer show at The Upper Room.  I was at their show at the Upper Room and after the show was over, we had an impromptu video shoot at our house.  It was half an after party and half a music video shoot.   There are a couple shots that made the edit and if you look really hard you may just catch ya boy in it! I am in the background in a black long sleeve when Shabazz raps in the house. I have always wanted a cameo in a music video, and I guess I can scratch that off the bucket list!

To other musicians and artists trying to get their name out there, I highly suggest you don’t skimp on the visuals and follow suit! Videos are everything and this video a testament to that!  You need to tell a story with the visuals that cannot be told with simply an audio track.  You need to paint a picture! That is enough preaching for one blog post.  If you enjoyed this video be sure to check out Triple Threat Militia in the links below.

Follow them here:

Triple Threat Militia:
https://soundcloud.com/triple-threat-…

http://www.vimeo.com/davbrooksiv