Hanoi has served as the muse of foreign photographers, writers – and even a few rappers.
Filmmaker Troy Stanton and rapper Blaise Thomas, both New Yorkers, recently moved to Hanoi and worked with local dancers to stage a hip-hop video that zips and cuts around the capital. Only posted online in June, the video has received nearly 30,000 views on YouTube already.
The video borrows the catchy flutes of rapper Future's 2017 track 'Mask Off' and also flips its title. 'Mask On,' named so for the masks commuters wear, is a charming, warp-speed trip through the heart of the city. Blaise name drops local dishes as he raps, while the song's hook is devoted to his acquired appreciation for the city's chaotic traffic.
Bike is made for two, but we ridin' three or fo'
Green light? red light? / I still go
Keep a close eye on the video's namesake masks – they shift and morph, functioning as mini-projection screens – and at times the camera zooms through them and teleports you across the city.
Former US President Obama makes a cameo, and that's the voice of the late Anthony Bourdain you hear giving narration in the intro.
Give it a play below:
[Video via YouTube channel Ngữ Wave]
