Here's a bit of a head-scratcher: J. Cole's latest music video release from 2014 Forest Hills Drive is the slightly aggressive and certainly contemporary "G.O.M.D.," but the video is a throwback to the days of slavery. If you're like us, the instant you hear that the two will be featured in the clip, you'll also question what middle ground the two can stand on.
The visuals reveal that J. is a house slave, one who seems to be in charge of making sure the rest of the servants keep in line. He's also searching for acceptance, it seems, by doing an anachronistic black power salute to the "field negroes" heading out for a long day of thankless work but who could care less about his presence or his greeting. Here, and when the drunk masters drop a key to a gun storage cabinet, we see Cole hatch a plan to arm the slaves, a plot that gets a boost from the help of one of the white women who resides in the home.
You can push play to see how successful the endeavor is, but as for the meaning intended, some have suggested J. Cole is visually going back to his roots in hip-hop after flirting with a commercial sound and success. And the lyrics (see Urban Dictionary for the meaning of the acronym for which the song is name) could play into the slave imagery, directing a message to the masters, as well as their "ancestors," the record labels, which might hinder artistry.
However you interpret it, the two do play off each other. And no matter how loose the connections might be, the clip is at least entertaining and occasionally eyebrow-raising.
