Patrick Ong
Patrick Ong
Metro season starts today. Tuesday afternoon, St. Louis living legend Metro Boomin dropped the short film for his upcoming album Heroes & Villains. Metro’s film–directed by Gibson Hazard–stars himself, Gunna, Young Thug, Lakeith Stanfield, and Morgan Freeman.
The short film teases songs from the double disc album: "Walk Em Down (Don't Kill Civilians)" featuring 21 Savage and Mustafa, "Umbrella" alongside 21 Savage & Young Nudy, and "Superhero (Heroes & Villains)" with Future and Chris Brown.
The film places us in the middle of a comic book while Morgan Freeman narrates the state of Metropolis. We meet Stanfield’s Joker-esque character, rampaging through the streets in a flamethrowing firetruck. Bystanders run amok amidst the chaos as a silent Metro overlooks the city. Evoking a stoic Bruce Wayne, Freeman appears next to him as a Lucius Fox/Alfred Pennyworth pastiche. Freeman suggests that Metropolis needs him to save the day yet again before Metro boards his Metromobile.
The Boominati beacon shines once again, alerting those of his return. Villains have been warned.
Heroes & Villains: The Short Film is the latest production by Gibson Hazard. Hazard is a visionary music video director who has tallied collaborations with Ye, Drake, Lil Uzi Vert, and Lil Nas X. His one-of-a-kind control of color and cinematography has also yielded him a commercial credit, directing a star-studded commercial for Call of Duty: Warzone.
The score and sound design–done by Omari Jazz and Elliot Cleverdon–build up the tension, hook viewers, and completely nail the grandiose tone needed for superhero film scores. Cleverdon is a talented songwriter and guitarist for Graham Johnson’s band. Jazz has been consistently streaming on Twitch while his Dream Child music video makes its rounds at the film festival circuit. Together, the duo aligned on a score perfect for Heroes & Villains: The Short Film.
Film and music have always been intertwined, but Metro Boomin assembled an all-star ensemble to launch his cinematic vision. Four years after his first full-length solo studio LP, Not All Heroes Wear Capes, Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains is set to drop on December 2nd. Its accompanying six-minute film not only serves as a bombastic introduction to a highly-anticipated album rollout, but the House of Hazard Production also seamlessly drops us square into Metro Boomin’s world. If this film is any indication of where the Heroes & Villains is going, we have a lot to look forward to.
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