I won’t lie. Musically, “Kill Jill” is purely three Atlanta hip-hop greats teaming up over a bouncing bass beat. Though he recently only reluctantly took the stage during his city’s protests, rapper-activist-actor Killer Mike gleefully STEALS this track from his fellow hometown lyricists.

Still, the video outshines all of the above. Aside from beautiful art direction with lavish interiors, amazing costumes and a lion to boot, it’s a masterclass in cultural APPRECIATION rather than APPROPRIATION. The ethereal Japanese woman in the opening seconds isn’t actually a woman at all. She’s Hatsune Miku, a virtual vocal synthesizing technology and global music phenomenon. (She even makes an “appearance” at the end of the video.)

The song’s title is of course a nod to Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” and the video follows suit. But instead of giving it a hip-hop makeover, fundamentally Japanese institutions like the Yakuza and geisha are respectfully upheld, with only Japanese actors cast in those roles. The non-Japanese woman among the geisha – a stand-in for “Kill Bill’s” Chinese-American O-Ren Ishii – wears a similar kimono, but none of her peers’ hair or makeup elements. Keep an eye out for the traveling war samurai and allusions to shibari rope art along the way, too. “Kill Jill” is 5 straight minutes of black and Japanese cultural eye candy that’s a real gem given the two’s continuous mutual influence since the 1500s when Yasuke became the first black samurai. Not to mention another musical victory for rap kings of the south.

𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘:
“The South got something to say”*
(*Note: There will never be a time that this isn’t my favorite Big Boi line. Sorry not sorry.)

𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗥 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬 | 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗥 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬