Behold My Kool Style

Dam Native , Music Video – 1996

from the album Kaupapa Driven Rhymes Uplifted (1997)

Directed by prolific music video maker turned movie director Jonathan King, this clip for pioneering hip hop duo Dam Native won Best Video at the 1997 NZ Music Awards. It evokes the look of a sepia-tinged colonial era photo, and the art direction —Edwardian suits and tokotoko (walking stick) — are beautifully realised. The film was then deliberately scratched to help it look aged. The result makes an effective backdrop to the song’s political lyrics. DJ Sir-Vere called the track “an original Aotearoa classic”.

The concept was inspired by early New Zealand photography — initially suggested by bandleader Danny Haimona. [Cinematographer] Darryl Ward and I developed it further. A big part of the look was achieved by making a print off the negative, which Darryl and I battered, scratched and mangled. We scanned that, as well as the negative, giving a really organic, old film look. Editor Jonathan Venz took it even further, really nailing the feel.
– Director Jonathan King