The days of low cut budget videos with similar locations and with very little eye candy for viewers have dwindled away in the years gone by. But even by the new standards of videos, Cibil Nyte’s seems to have set an unprecedented level of braggadocio, ostentatious crops and eye-catching girls all wrapped into one.
However the video left some making comparison to some contemporary videos that help boost artists up the chart rather than the music itself.
The Emcee Africa winner shot the video for his single ‘My City’ at Cigar Lounge recently and the video has since been aired. The video begins with Cibil Nyte in the club being offered a Cohiba, which is one of the most expensive Cigars one can find not just in Botswana but also around the world.
The video has various expensive and luxury bottles of alcohol and with support from rap heavyweight, Apollo Diablo, who makes an appearance, the video is draped in hip hop royalty. The scenery is more of a party atmosphere with everyone dressed for the occasion and having a good time mingling.
Though the overall reception of the video has been great there has been a growing distaste in some quarters that has questioned the authenticity of the video and whether it truly reflects the life in Gaborone. On YouTube some called the execution of the concept a downfall and argued that the video might be attractive but does not represent the lyrics of the song or the everyday life in Gaborone.
In an interview, Cibil Nyte confirmed the rumours that initially the video was actually shot elsewhere before choosing the lavish Cigar Lounge.
“Well, we shot in a number of places and didn’t capture the essence of what we wanted. Then, unfortunately, the footage was damaged and we had to reshoot the whole thing. It took a few weeks to reschedule and shoot again,” he said.
Cibil Nyte said he did not believe the criticism was warranted as it offered a different aspect of life in Gaborone.
According to Cibil Nyte the artist on the hook, Tunky, was not in town, which also created its own problems but that was not enough to deter him from creating a feeling never envisaged by Botswana viewers watching their own local artists.
“Tunky was out of town when we shot and his dad was not fully behind him doing music but that was a small detail and we wanted to capture a part of life in Gaborone that most people are not personally familiar with to bridge the gap,” he added.
Cibil Nyte did, however, admit that he could see the hype behind the video.
“I guess the way it looks and the effort put into making it and that we were really drinking bottles over P5000 and more. So it was really real,” he said.
