New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The battle of good vs. evil is a universally understood struggle; it's been faced as a human condition throughout mankind, on all levels. There are always two sides: good vs. evil, right vs. wrong, but the vast, gray, and blurred void that joins them, is where many of our personal battles lie. Las
Vegas hip hop artist Shafik brings this struggle to the forefront, with his visually stunning music video "
Desperado" today. It premiered on Beyond the Stage Magazine, who commented, "the strong-willed song exudes passion and honesty that really connects the listener with Shafik himself."
Shafik shared, "Desperado is about the balance between good and evil in this world. Growing up, I always loved superhero movies and they made me believe there was black and white sides of good and evil. Once I became an adult with more life experiences, I realized that there is a lot of gray in between good and evil. I talk about one example in the outro of the song; how bad people will donate to make themselves look good, instead of donating to actually help society. Meanwhile, people that don't have money to donate might pray everyday that those in need can be helped. That doesn't make them a bad person just because they didn't donate."
The video further enhances the dichotomy, with a stunning visual sequence of light and dark scenes, shot in the deserts of Nevada. Night scenes come alive, with contrasting inky-black skies and blazing fire, while the day-time shots provide a calming oasis of open landscape and pastel cloud-covered horizons. "We flip back and forth throughout these shots and have my presence be the only consistent part of the video to show how I and pretty much everyone has both sides within themselves. It's just about how you want to operate within those sides," Shafik said.
"
Desperado" comes off Shafik's debut album The Showcase, released earlier this fall on October 1, 2018. The release provides an impressive introduction, displaying Shafik's range of talent, broad influences, and creative breadth. "It's about showing the music world what I can do," shared Shafik. "I can make traditional hip hop songs, club hip hop, Top 40 pop, R&B, and put them all together in a cohesive album." The Showcase covers a range of lyrical content, from personal matters including loneliness, heartbreak and love, to confident, fun, and light-hearted party songs. The Showcase is available now on all major digital retailers, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Soundcloud.
As for what's next, Shafik promises that a number of additional videos are in the works and that he has plenty more music and talent to come. "This is just my starting point; I'm excited for people to hop on this journey with me."
ABOUT SHAFIK:
With heritage spanning from Zanzibar, Africa to County Cavan, Ireland, Shafik is a unique product of his environment. Inhaling influences of Indian artists such as Nusrat Fateh and Ali Khan alongside the oh-so familiar, Michael Jackson,
T-Pain and Eminem, the independent virtuoso exhales his own genre-defying masterpiece from his current home city of Las Vegas.
Shafik has four groundbreaking singles tightly fastened beneath his belt, each fully equipped with uplifting vibes of youthful invincibility and a sonic production that makes Mr. Clean's bald head look soiled. Fanatics have been highly anticipating an upcoming music video as Shafik has been periodically dropping teasers packed with a very apparent ravenous appetite for speed. As fast cars kick up dust in the desert of Nevada, Shafik is shown turning a casual drive into a performance art as his single, "
Runaway" takes listeners on their own high-speed escape. The video's detonation date is still unannounced, so be sure to keep all eyes on him for the word.
There are big plans and no limits in store for Shafik as he breaks sonic boundaries, bends youthful ears and turns the brick walls of the often stuffy music industry into doors as he makes his way to the very top. His debut album The Showcase was released October 1, 2018.
