Tunji Ige - “Ball Is Life” (Official Video)

Tunji Ige’s The Love Project came out in December of 2014, but it’s still my favorite rap release in 2015, too. Okay, maybe If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late comes close, but Ige is on another level with this tape — and he’s only 19. Today he’s shared a video for one of the project’s best songs, the brass- and sports-metaphor-ridden track called “Ball Is Life.” The visuals were shot, directed, and edited by the extremely talented Glassface aka Josh Goldenberg via Brain Bandits. (He also directed Ige’s other videos, “For Us” and “Dark Liquor“). 

This one kicks off with a stunning Bruce Lee quote and gets even more spectacular from there, working in multimedia elements and a juxtaposition of scenes like a baby watching a boxing match and Tunji dancing alone in the wilderness. The pivotal moment for me is when Ige takes off his headphones, stepping outside of the song for a moment. Truly, Glassface has outdone himself on this one — and it’s no surprise given the material he was inspired by. After watching tepid clip after tepid clip, this video reminds you how the medium can enhance and refine the narrative of a song. It is quite possibly the best music video I’ve seen all year.