A$AP Ferg's album Still Striving was one of the many releases that hip-hop fans got to sink their teeth into during what was a crowded month of August. The record has been generally well-received by both fans and critics alike, tapping into Ferg's ability to craft these insanely hard but also very catchy bangers on more than one occasion. Today, the rapper is bringing out a new visual for what is arguably the most popular song off of that project, "Plain Jane." Featuring a lot of effects work and even more bike pedaling work, it should serve as a way to boost the track's streaming numbers even more through YouTube.
The video is littered with strobe-like sequences, where the images are chopped up, frame by frame, to achieve the desired stutter-step effect. In addition to that, there's also a lot of color changes, reversing the spectrum and hues to give off this photo negative vibe. In general, the visual takes on this grungy, almost like it was filmed on an older piece of camera equipment. It's a trend that is really popular when it comes to video making right now and, while it hasn't grown completely tiresome as of yet, it's undoubtedly getting close. There's also the impact of the proceedings cutting a little too quickly from one spot to another, which can have a jarring effect on the eye depending on your taste. If you've seen a film like Natural Born Killers, then you'll know the technique I'm alluding to.
The good news for Ferg is that "Plain Jane" should continue to have a life of its own outside of this video, which is more of a compliment on the strength of the track rather than a dig at the visual component seen here. It might not be quite on the same level as his now-iconic "Work (Remix)," but its reputation continues to grow and will eventually place the song among the very best that the A$AP member has ever done. It will more than likely be on more than a few hip-hop fans' list of their favorite tracks of the year.
