This song is a direct connection to the simmering collective-consciousness that lives behind the world: with elements of nu jazz, hip hop, and electronic music, we have a mix of spirituality and avant-garde artistry. The music video for Kali Yuga joins a compelling live-dance aesthetic with shots of the LA river that might remind you of any number of movie scenes from years past: Transformers, The Italian Job, or Grease, for example.

But the sharp contrast between black-clad masked stranger, staid mariachis, mounted cowboys, and aggressive body language creates an original space between that Childish Gambino video that broke the internet and the compellingly physical performance-aesthetic of someone like Maggie Rogers. Kali Yuga, the latest from Oakland icon Zion I, is a visual smorgasbord of receding perspective, that incorporates the soul of Los Angeles into a compression of political acuity, personal revelation, and deep groove.

Zion I was founded as an American hip hop duo from Oakland, California. Kali Yuga is taken from their 2018 LP, Ritual Mystik. This song is featured on our Conscious Hip Hop playlist and the video features rapper Zumbi. Kali Yuga was directed by Joseph Buckley Campbell, brought to you by January Sixth Production.