Ezale's The Tonite Show album, released last September, built off the '80s-sampling sound that the Oakland rapper has pioneered. While the project showcased Ezale's carefree, light-hearted swagger, it also found the Oakland rapper discussing the harsh realities of his city and his neighborhood. In the new video for "All It Take," which premieres on The FADER today, Ezale remembers friends lost to violence and the prison system.
"The video is about the weird cycle of destructive behavior in Oakland; we don’t really get to choose our destiny," Ezale told The FADER over email. "The video is saying how you can’t hold no one’s hand thorough life, even if you try. The little boy is me. He's enjoying his innocence and is looking to his OGs as role models. Any OG can give him some game and guidance but it’s up to him to walk it. You can only help the kids so much until they grow up. Something so little can effect a person in a big way. Say you see your father hit your mom once from a young age — that’s something that can make you grow up to be a woman beater. There’s a lot of things like this we encounter that have ripple effect that can turn into a big wave.”
Thumbnail image: Alexandra Gavillet for The FADER.
