Sapient, who rose to prominence with the Portland-based Hip Hop collective, Sandpeople, is one of those rare talents that can essentially do anything in the creative realm.
His new single, “L.I.E.” (meaning “life is easy”), off his upcoming solo EP, Fool For Gold, was produced, written, recorded, mixed, and mastered by the 32 year old emcee. He even used his graphic design skills to create the cover art.
The subsequent video for “L.I.E.” has Sapient’s fingerprints all over it, as well. Directed and edited by the multi-faceted artist, he teamed up with stage mate Jon Sleeves to juggle some of the camera work. “When we pair up, expect crushing,” Sapient says.
Filmed around an old abandoned building in the middle of the woods, themes involve life/death, light/dark and heaven/hell, although he says he “doesn’t believe in that silly shit.”
Throughout the song, he repeats, “If I say it enough times/life is easy/if I say it enough times it will become true,” the words of a man who has inevitably grown up and come to a mature understanding of how to navigate the rough waters of life. Sapient also takes the opportunity to showcase his singing prowess, which he executes with ease.
Although he doesn’t have a “go-to” videographer, what he came up with proves he doesn’t need one.
“It’s not just a matter of people being out of budget or too busy,” he explains. “I just don’t know of a person in my region who I can say, ‘Hey I need a music video,’ and they’ll want to work with me and we can just get down to business creating a masterpiece. So just like when I learned to make beats, do cover art or master my tracks, I learned to make videos out of necessity. Now after years, I love it and do make money here and there, but often I spend more time on my video projects than I can afford [laughs].”
Fool for Gold is Sapient’s best work to date. It shows his evolution as not only an artist, but also as a man, husband and father. In a matter of six-tracks, he obliterates the competition with his acute attention to detail, effortless rhyming patterns and unwavering passion for his craft.
Fool for Gold drops July 15 in the US and in Europe with the label, Life Kills Slowly. Pre-order the album here.
