Videos

“Johan Lenox - I’m A Mess (featuring Lancey Foux)”

“Johan tries using alcohol to drown his feelings of uncertainty and existential dread.” That is the text at the beginning of this video. And it certainly sets the tone for the entire thing. Between Johan Lenox’s brilliant stylistic blend of the genres of Hip hop and Classical music into a successful version of Alternative, and one of Lancey Foux’s signature harmonic, emotionally-sincere verses, this track is 2 minutes and 16 seconds of pure bliss (the video is 3 minutes and 39 seconds). It was released on February 8th, 2022.

 

“Johan tries using alcohol to drown his feelings of uncertainty and existential dread.” That is the text at the beginning of this video. And it certainly sets the tone for the entire thing. Between Johan Lenox’s brilliant stylistic blend of the genres of Hip hop and Classical music into a successful version of Alternative, and one of Lancey Foux’s signature harmonic, emotionally-sincere verses, this track is 2 minutes and 16 seconds of pure bliss (the video is 3 minutes and 39 seconds). It was released on February 8th, 2022. The composition is beautiful, with moody strings, intense violin, and energetic drums. The vocal effects on the track are also very nice, as they create an extra dimension and in turn amplifies the emotions that the vocals evoke. The lyrics of the song are very reflective and personal, and they come with an UNBELIEVABLE level of emotional honesty and vulnerability that is very rare these days; both of the artists pick apart and separate themselves, as they discuss their struggles with their own inner demons, and how they cope with them (or don’t). They also remind themselves that they are blessed, and ultimately embrace that they are not always put together. As mentioned, the video begins with a text card that reads: “Johan tries using alcohol to drown his feelings of uncertainty and existential dread.” This is incomprehensibly relatable, so much to the point where I’m not even gonna go into it, but I’m pretty sure that a lot of us have been there before.

 
 

The video features Johan stumbling around and vibing in a room of colorful lights, cool-looking people, and a room of reflective material, as well as looking in the mirror at the beginning of the video. There are also people playing instruments in the video such as the violin, which I thought was dope and a great addition to the video. The scene with Lancey features Johan looking into a room, which then transitions to him in a smokey, dimly-lit blueish-white room with a dark curtain around it. This effectively creates the feeling that he is isolated from any trace of human life. Also, I must mention, he is literally wearing chains with a lock on them, which is a huge metaphor, and fits well with the song. To me this represents a lot of things: sex, money, and drugs alone can’t set you free, slavery still exists in different forms, etc. But in this context, to me it represents Lancey’s own personal feelings of being chained down and unable to escape. At the end of the video, Johan is sitting on a bathroom floor, leaning against a wall, very drunk when his friend says that he needs to slow down and that this only goes one way. It is true, addiction does only go one way. And overall, this video, and song, are a great testament to that, creating a self-aware moment of realization that the artists are messed up, and acknowledging that it is okay.

 
 
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