1010 Benja SL - "Dobby 21"

I haven't checked in with 1010 Benja SL personally in a few months, but it seems a lot has been changing for him pretty fast. I don't know how much he claims Kansas City right now (or how much he did previously, considering he was a relatively recent transplant), but I do know that you need to check out this rework of his 2020 single "Dobby" and its very slick new music video. Benja threw out the bare bones acoustic production of the original in favor of a modern, upbeat R&B treatment that shifts the mood from melancholy to celebratory -- after all, she "really loved [him]," "took care of [him]," and "let [him] hit her booty." Maybe Benja's feeling a little better since he exited his old record deal with Young Turks for one with indie Three Six Zero (a British company distributed by Sony that handles music for The Prodigy and management for Will, Jaden, and Willow Smith, Bloodpop, and Calvin Harris). 

 

The video, beyond its high production value, is compelling in how it turns the image of Benja's former hardship, living without a home, into a flashy, high-end experience. Rather than filming on location on a dumpy downtown corner, Benja is clearly in a studio with technicolor lights shined on him, warming his hands over a trash can fire in what is very obviously a designer puffer jacket. He also taps into his Midwest punk rock past, ripping an electric guitar solo a couple minutes into the track. We can talk about how fun his flows are and how crisp his voice sounds another time. But you should listen now.

Watch the music video below.