By Aaron Butler/MavRadio.FM Music Coordinator, Music Review
OMAHA, Neb.- With 2.2 million views in a single day, Joyner Lucas woke up America music’s scene with his new hit single, “Devil’s Work.” When Gary Maurice Lucas, Jr., better known as Joyner, first arrived on the scene, he was fully prepared to open eyes with his free single “Ross Capicchioni” that came coupled with a video that still makes the listener shudder at the sound of it. It hits close to home for his audience. Following the songs critical acclaim, Joyner received the Grammy Award for music video of the year. He then received numerous calls to the number 508-507-2209 with hundreds of artists wanting just a minute in the recording booth with this guy. Following that Joyner released “Jumanji” alongside longtime idol “Busta Rhymes” then quickly signed to Atlanta records. Hit after hit came from him and he somewhat became the voice of a people with a similar upbringing.
June 16, 2017, Lucas released his mixtape 508-507-2209 with undoubtedly one of the most viral music videos of the year in that of “Keep it 100” which entails the life of a $100 bill in an urban city. Shortly after this, Joyner released another track, but the internet was not properly prepared for titled “I’m not a Racist.” The video depicted two men attempting to be politically correct and air out racial tension to each other. With hundreds of retweets and a hundred million views, the video ignited passionate positive and negative arguments throughout social media.
Two days ago, the music video to “Devil’s Work” was released from his upcoming album ADHD and, unlike his typical motives, Joyner chooses not to ask why the world is what he sees as upside down, instead, he asks the public to question a higher power as to why they’ve taken artists like Michael Jackson and Nipsey. This video seems a lot like a monologue scene from a reality TV show, but it’s what most of Joyner’s videos are and that’s why they’re enjoyable to watch. I’d advise watching the video and determining if the messages portrayed in the video cause you to think differently.
Overall, I give the video an 8/10. It’s interesting only because of the lyrics. The thing that would make this video a 10/10 is if Lucas removed the music itself and see if the audience would still be invested in the action.
