Mereba turned heads and caught our attention with her debut album The Jungle Is The Only Way Out. The album gave us plenty of things to enjoy and a good deal to think about with tracks like "Stay Tru" and "Sandstorm." Another song that has given us plenty to think about is "Heatwave." The 6LACK-featuring song provides commentary on the experience of living while black across the globe — especially in relation to police brutality and other atrocities. Now the singer brings us an arresting black-and-white video to accompany the song that adds even more insight into its power.
You won't find Mereba or 6LACK among the faces in the clip. Instead, historical footage is mixed with breathtaking images of people in different settings and countries. Much of the historical footage shows pivotal moments in the civil rights struggle. Images taken from 1950s and '60s America being juxtaposed with modern footage of people serves to illustrate that though the times may have, in most cases the world really hasn't. This, along with the song's lyrics of unrest and injustice, makes for a video that isn't the easiest to digest. Luckily, near the clip's end, we're given a message that not only reconciles what we're seeing but also calls us to action. "Time tells, listen" one screen says. "Attention is currency" reads another. "No ruler can size you / Every color is inside you," the message concludes before leaving us with the image of school-aged children gathering in a circle.
"Heatwave" was already a thought-provoking song and now, with this clip, Mereba and 6LACK have given us even more to think about.
