M.I.A.’s “Boyz”

M.I.A.’s new music video “Boyz” is a brilliant mashup of contemporary Jamaican dance and lo-fi abstract animation. It’s easily one of the more original and exciting animated music videos that I’ve seen in a while. The animation is not simply an afterthought here but really serves to bring out the colorful style and energy of the dancers, who according to this ‘making of’ video, comprise a who’s who of the Jamaican dance scene. Comparisons have been drawn to Paper Rad though personally I find the graphic style far more successful in the context of this video than I do in most of Paper Rad’s work. Not sure who’s responsible for the animation; the live-action video was directed by Jay Will.

(via BB)