It was a breezy Monday morning, the air was clear and the sun laid hiding layers behind a blanket of stratus clouds.  The staff scuttled around prolifically as they perfected every detail of the set which was huge in size, but in actuality, nothing more than two walls with both green and black back-drops—perfect for the young, yet established director, Juwan Lee to execute his vision using infinite creativity.  Delux Magazine was on hand to witness St. Louis history in the making. Although many will underestimate the magnitude of this moment, very few realize this video is something to celebrate.  The St. Lunatics are celebrating their 10th anniversary in the rap game; and for the first time, their brother City Spud, is going to reveal himself to the world.

The video “Money Talks” featuring Brian “Baby” Williams was about to happen before our very eyes. The video models were in hair and make-up as they prepared for their individual shots. One by one, the models presented themselves on the set and executed their roles seamlessly.  The stylists were on-hand to ensure the ‘Tics represented St. Louis to the fullest. Laid out were both clothing and shoe options for each member to choose from upon their arrival. And just like that, it happened—the St. Lunatics were in the building and the closed-set became a whirlwind of energy and excitement as reporters from local news channels 2, 4, 5, and 11 each conversed with their camera man, planning their execution as each of the artists became available to discuss their feelings about this momentous occasion.

“This whole project is about me, but at the same time it’s about the ‘Tics. We’re complete now. Everybody’s excited because the first one was Free City, now this one I’m free and it’s City Free. This is my first video.  It’s real special right now,” City Spud humbly stated. “It was a long struggle. You know, because of what we do, a lot of people don’t make it. It’s like one in a million, and we just happen to be those five. It was just something we’ve worked hard on and we were blessed with it. Now that we’re blessed with it, we just take it and run. It’s the 1st Lunatic project where all of us [are] here. We’re Voltron again. I’m home.”

One by one, the St. Lunatics took their places before the green screen, rapped in sync with the music, and did their part to paint a picture with the expectation of a perfect representation of their status after 10 years in the industry. As the day continued, the scene shifted, and they all came together before a black backdrop, but one thing was missing—Ali, the President of Derrty Ent. had yet to appear on the set.  Considering he has the first verse in the single, people were starting to wonder if he’d ever show.  As the team assembled before the black back-drop, the ‘Tics and Baby flowed through the song verse by verse as the announcement came over the air: “Ali on the set in 10”.  A collective sigh of relief waved over the set as Ali presented himself to the set, ready for action. At that moment, silence everyone paused to witness it all.  With only the sound of the music in the background, you could faintly hear the sounds of shutters clicking as photographers and fans alike, snapped pictures of this moment.

For the first time in years, we were able to witness each and every member of the crew come together on the screen to celebrate their success.  With their new album City Free slated to drop in June, the rest of the city will share in the celebration that was a decade in the making.

DELUX Magazine
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