Explosions, bears and "Soviet aesthetic": A$AP Rocky's new clip shot in Kyiv receives backlash

Famous American rapper A$AP Rocky, previously repeatedly caught in scandals, unexpectedly for fans released a video for the song Tailor Swif, filmed in 2021. The artist then chose Kyiv as the location, as indicated in the credits, but not everyone was happy about such popularization of the Ukrainian capital.

The thing is that the footage is quite controversial: gloomy, absurd, and sometimes even triggering for Ukrainians. OBOZ.UA collected reactions to the clip and will tell you what's wrong with it.

The first thing that may catch the eye of Ukrainians are explosions in houses, missiles in the sky, collapsing high-rise buildings and people being helped. The idea was created by Israeli clipmaker Vania Heymann with the help of Ukrainian production company shelter film in 2021.

At that time it was impossible to imagine how real such scenes would become and how often Kyiv citizens would see them in everyday life.

In general, the clip is full of absurdity. Naked people, cows in the air, cigarettes in the hair, toilets falling from the sky, horses at every step. And all this is replaced by other strange events and paradoxical shots so quickly that it glues you to the screen.

However, Ukrainians have another complaint, which was characterized as "Soviet aesthetics". A$AP Rocky abused symbols inherent to the Soviet Union, not independent Ukraine.

Carpets on the walls and even on cars, a bear that is considered a symbol of the "Russian world," fur hats - all of these suggest a Soviet atmosphere, while dirty public toilets, gloomy streets and identical houses create a false impression of Kyiv.

However, it is worth noting that the rapper has always had a peculiar style, and his fans are used to such absurdity on the screen. Even some listeners from Ukraine praised the work and A$AP Rocky's team for mentioning their house.

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