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CITY PRESS REVIEW: New Frank Casino and Nadia Nakai music video feels like an extended advert


Johannesburg - Frank Casino and Nadia Nakai’s new video for the single Money Calling forms part of a new marketing campaign by beer brand Castle Lite, which seems to be enjoying being so tightly aligned with the culture. Just a few months ago the brand brought us the underwhelming Chance The Rapper at the Dome.

Now, it’s house party time with an Afro-futuristic twist. At the core of all this is the release of the new screwtop for Castle Lite’s bottles so that you can “sip it, lock it, then stash it” – something Casino and Nakai rap about continuously.

Young director Lebogang Rasethaba, known for his documentaries The People Versus The Rainbow Nation and Prisoner 467/67: The Untold Legacy is behind the video.

Taking this into consideration, and his work on the video for In The Castle Of My Skin by Sons of Kemet, we expected a lot from this man.

What he served up seems to be a project he must have taken because the money was appealing. There really isn’t enough soul in this imagery, and he could have pushed himself further.

Nadia appears from behind a silhouette, looking like Cleopatra sitting on a throne, and at times she seems too visible. The tone had been almost mysterious until this.

The close-ups were too close. No, I’m not taking a shot at Nakai or that whole make-up thing. It’s just that I would’ve preferred more darkness and creepier-looking shots that would’ve made her seem more regal and an empress of the microphone. 

Nadia Nakai and Frank Casino: Money Calling
Available on YouTube
2 stars

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