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INFLUENCED: Santi takes inspiration from movie, fairy tales and even dark comedy

RISING NIGERIAN star Santi has released the compelling visuals for Raw Dinner, a single taken from his critically acclaimed debut album Mandy & The Jungle.

The self-directed visual was shot in Lagos, Nigeria and features Afropop artist Kida Kudz.

“Raw Dinner is a short film set and shot in Lagos. The video and story are heavily influenced by horror movies, fairy tales and elements of dark comedy, said Santi of the visual.

He added: “It tells the story of a duo who hunt spirits and protect the city from evil and a girl they find with unlimited potential of power.

“They eventually form a trio but the girl soon realises that her true roots are evil and embraces them.

“The song and melody of raw dinner has a dark feel to it, and I wanted to explore the possibilities of creating something memorable to a special song.

“Throughout the video I tapped into various old influences such as old Nollywood influences as well as music we heard in birthday parties as kids, combining a lot of film and musical elements to give raw dinner this feel.”

A key player in the Nigerian alté scene – a game-changing new wave of Lagos creatives pushing boundaries by celebrating individuality and freedom of expression in a culture more accustomed to fitting in – Santi and his collaborators are known for their lo-fi nostalgia, for fusing their Nigerian roots with western influences.

BODY OF WORK
His debut album is a deeply textured, flavourful body of work.

On it, Santi’s unwavering allegiance to his Monster Boy crew (including producers Genio and GMK) is present.

So too is a wide selection of guest features – Ghanaian R’n’B singer/songwriter Amaarae, South African DIY Hip-hop pundit Shane Eagle, Virginia singer/ rapper DRAM, and DMV-hailing Goldlink make organic and sincere appearances.