Kamaiyah's stellar debut tape hits every note on the emotional spectrum: celebrating the highs that have come with her newfound success and discussing the lows that life has thrown her way. "For My Dawg," the tape's closing song, is a tribute to two loved ones: Cocaine James, who passed away in April after a battle with cancer, and Fred, who was murdered in Oakland last summer.
Today, Kamaiyah has shared an emotional video for the song that honors both men as they were in life. "For the most part, the video is just of James and Fred from the past," she told The FADER over the phone. "It's us doing weird stuff and having fun. It’ll probably make you cry if you’re close to us because you’re gonna see them living and enjoying themselves."
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The Evan Croker-directed video combines footage of James and Fred that Kamaiyah had on her hard drive with candle-lit scenes of Kamaiyah and her Hyphy Hoochies crew paying their respects on the steps of James' house. (The cover photo for Kamaiyah's tape was also shot on those steps.)
"I just wanted people to know: everybody goes through something," Kamaiyah said. "I feel like nowadays, people don’t ever put out what’s really going on in their personal lives. I wanted to bring the world into it. Like, you’re not the only one dealing with someone dying from cancer."
Watch Kamaiyah and Cocaine James perform "How Does It Feel" together, in March:
