Growing up, rising Nigerian artist Santi idolized the horror movies made in his country. The films, such as Santi's favorite director Helen Ukpabio, were often used to scare kids into behaving themselves and showing what terrors lay ahead for those who don't. When it came time to make a video for new single "Freaky," he naturally went back to this rich territory.
The found footage-style video, premiering above via The FADER, is a lo-fi and pschedelic take on the Nollywood horrors of the '90s. It features Santi as an exorcist who can't be trusted and a woman out to destroy "Freaky"'s featured vocalists, Toronto-based R&B singer Nonso Amadi and Nigerian rapper Bridge.
Speaking to The FADER via email, Santi said: "With 'Freaky,' our vision was to pay homage to the vintage Nollywood horror by telling the story of an evil girl and a Nigerian exorcist played by me. In those traditional films, the priests always shows up at the end of the movie because it symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. However in 'Freaky' the exorcist has a creepy feel to him, this was inspired by the unpredictability of Korean movies where certain exorcists aren’t necessarily painted in a good image. It is a dark video that pays homage to its ancestors while telling the story of a girl who wants nothing but to destroy the souls of men"
Check out the video above.