Lavender (BadBadNotGood song)

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"Lavender"
Single by BadBadNotGood
from the album IV
ReleasedJuly 8, 2016
Genre
Length3:21
LabelInnovative Leisure
Songwriter(s)
BadBadNotGood singles chronology
"Confessions Pt. II"
(2016) 		"Lavender"
(2016) 		"In Your Eyes"
(2016)

"Lavender" is a song released by Canadian jazz instrumental hip hop band BadBadNotGood (BBNG) as part of their 2016 album IV. The song has been adapted into two music videos. The official video was released by BBNG in November 2016. The American rapper Snoop Dogg added lyrics to the song and released the "Nightfall Remix" version in 2017. The music video to this version caused some controversy because of a scene depicting a mock assassination of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Background and release[edit]

BBNG made the original version of the track with Kaytranada in their home studio in Toronto. In an email to The Fader, BBNG described the process of making the song. "Kay started the idea as a beat with our drum breaks and some synth melodies. Then we recut the drums and synth to formulate a song with more sections."[1] In an interview with PopMatters in August 2016, Chester Hansen of BBNG said the band liked Kay's drum breaks and synth ideas and that the band "thought it would sound cool in context with the Ghost stuff we were working on so we took that and reworked it and then next time Kay was in town we worked on it again. It took about three or four different stages, and it was really this winter [when we completed it]."[2]

The song was initially released on the album IV July 8, 2016.[3] BBNG performed a rendition of "Lavender" on the Australian radio station Triple J during a Like a Version segment December 9, 2016.[4]

Reception[edit]

Michelle Geslani, writing in Consequence of Sound, described the song as "a true hybrid of both BadBadNotGood and Kaytranada, highlighted by woozy, jazzy bits and synths that tend to growl and glow."[5] Jamieson Cox of The Verge praised Kaytranada's performance in the song writing. "It's tough to discern Kay's presence on this one, and that's a compliment — he seamlessly slots into the band's spacey, roiling jazz-funk."[6]

Official music video[edit]

BBNG released their official music video for "Lavender" via YouTube November 16, 2016. The video was directed by Fantavious Fritz and features BBNG band members playing a realistic game of Dungeons & Dragons. The video begins with the BBNG band members looking at an advertisement on a telephone pole for a game of Dungeons & Dragons. When they get to the address on the flyer, the owner of the house locks them in his garage and forces them to play a game of D&D. While playing the game, Kaytranada appears as a holographic game piece to help the band members in their quest.[7] During the game, the Dungeon Master who locked the band members in his garage walks outside to answer a phone call. While he is outside, one of the band members slips poison into the Dungeon Master's drink. When the DM returns, he takes a drink from his cup and hands the band members a gun, trying to force them to play a game of Russian roulette. Before the game of Russian Roulette can start, the DM dies from the poison. The music video ends with an advertisement for a Dungeon Master named John Dempsey located in the Greater Toronto Area.[8] The video was one of the top ten finalists for the 2017 Prism Prize.[9]

Personnel[edit]

  • Chester Hansen – bass guitar, CS-60, Yamaha organ
  • Matthew Tavares – auxiliary synthesizer
  • Alex Sowinski – drums, percussion
  • Leland Whitty – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
  • Kaytranada – CS-60, percussion

Snoop Dogg remix[edit]

Main article: Lavender (Nightfall Remix)

Snoop Dogg released a remix of "Lavender" titled "Lavender (Nightfall Remix)" with a music video on March 12, 2017. The beginning of the video shows a clown family and follows the father (played by Michael Rapaport), who smokes weed while stressed. After the father encounters a clown policeman, he is shot dead with a glitter gun while a bystander films the incident.[10] The video cuts to "The Clown House", where Ronald Klump, a clown parody version of Donald Trump,[10] holds a press conference concerning the deportation of all "doggs". In the video, Snoop Dogg sees Klump and his henchmen outside, and then grabs a gun and aims it at Klump. He pulls the trigger and a flag with the word "bang" pops out. Klump is later seen in chains.[11]

The song was included in Snoop's album Neva Left, released on May 19, 2017.[12] Conservative politicians and commentators criticized the video's mock assassination of Ronald Klump, a parody of Donald Trump.[13][14] On March 15, 2017, President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter, "Can you imagine what the outcry would be if @SnoopDogg, failing career and all, had aimed and fired the gun at President Obama? Jail time!"[15] Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen called the video "totally disgraceful" and called for Snoop to apologize.[16] Some artists, including T.I. and Talib Kweli, defended Snoop's video. The rapper Common compared it to political statements made by Public Enemy and KRS-One.[17]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Golden, Zara (June 15, 2016). "BADBADNOTGOOD Connect With Kaytranada On "Lavender"". The Fader. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  2. ^ Elone, Emmanuel (August 11, 2016). "Speaking Gently: An Interview with BADBADNOTGOOD". PopMatters. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  3. ^ Persaud, Navi (July 8, 2016). "Toronto Jazz Quartet BADBADNOTGOOD Release Their 'IV' Album". Empty Lighthouse Magazine. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  4. ^ Wilson, Zanda (December 9, 2016). "Watch BADBADNOTGOOD Cover A Beach Boys Classic For 'Like A Version'". Music Feeds. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  5. ^ Geslani, Michelle (June 15, 2016). "BadBadNotGood and Kaytranada work magic on new song "Lavender" — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  6. ^ Cox, Jamieson (June 18, 2016). "This is your next jam: Danny Brown, Phantogram, and more". The Verge. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  7. ^ Geslani, Michelle (November 16, 2016). "BadBadNotGood and Kaytranada share awesomely nerdy video for "Lavender" — watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  8. ^ Grosinger, Matt (November 16, 2016). "A Game of Dungeons & Dragons Goes VERY Wrong in this Music Video (Premiere)". Nerdist. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  9. ^ "Prism Prize Reveals 2017's Top 10 Finalists". Exclaim!. April 4, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Platon, Adelle (March 12, 2017). "Snoop Dogg on 'Lavender' Video Parodying Trump: 'Nobody's Dealing With the Real Issue With This F—king Clown as President'". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  11. ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (March 15, 2017). "Snoop Dogg's Anti-Trump Video Becomes a Pro-Trump Prop". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  12. ^ Whaley, Natelegé (May 19, 2017). "Snoop Dogg's 'Neva Left' album: Download and streaming options for new release". Mic. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  13. ^ Hensch, Mark (March 13, 2017). "Rubio: 'Snoop shouldn't have done that'". The Hill. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  14. ^ Mene, Reid (March 15, 2017). "Ted Cruz Just Weighed in on Snoop Dogg's 'Trump Shooting' Video—Says Goes to Bigger Problem in America Right Now". Independent Journal Review. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  15. ^ Coscarelli, Joe (March 15, 2017). "Donald Trump Condemns Snoop Dogg on Twitter for Satirical Video". The New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  16. ^ Kraw, Victoria (March 16, 2017). "President Trump lashes rapper Snoop Dogg over controversial video". news.com.au. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  17. ^ Whaley, Natelegé (March 16, 2017). "Hip hop comes to Snoop Dogg's defense in Donald Trump feud". Mic.com. Retrieved March 18, 2017.

External links[edit]

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