Von Alexander Pays Homage to Black Milwaukee Women in New Music Video "Solange"
Yesterday, Von Alexander held a premiere party for the release of his latest video “Solange”, which he says is his most anticipated piece of work to date. Yet, the making of the song Solange wasn’t planned. He wrote the song during the same time Solange dropped her fourth studio album, “When I Get Home”. Her album was getting a lot of buzz, so Von Alexander used that as inspiration when writing.
Von Alexander has heard women say that they like to clean to Solange, which is where the hook comes from. But, the meaning of the song goes deeper than that, he said. Even though he has a lot going on, he raps about how a woman could take that weight off his shoulders. And not just any woman, but a Black woman.
Over 20 Black women were apart of Von Alexander’s music video “Solange”. (Picture by Mahdi Gransberry)
To him, Black women are “everything.” “I get my best advice from Black women,” he added.
And through his new music video, he’s showing his appreciation for Black women.
Von Alexander put out a call for Black women to be in his music video on Instagram and he said well over 100 women commented and 40 women were picked. Around 28 women actually participated in the shoot, and all women are from Milwaukee.
“[I wanted to] capture their essence,” he said. “Their beauty.”
After putting out the call for women, Von Alexander saw the feedback he was receiving and wanted to market the video properly. For weeks, Von Alexander released behind the scenes footage of the shoot, but with a creative spin.
At first, Von Alexander said he was just aiming for an aesthetic but then it grew into something more. When women see this video, he hopes it gives them a confidence boost.
Von Alexander. (Picture by Mahdi Gransberry)
Although a lot of women reached out to be in the video, Von Alexander was nervous women would drop out once they found out that he couldn’t offer pay. To his delightful surprise, all of the women believed in the vision and were just happy to be apart of it all.
“They understood more so of what it was about,” Von Alexander said about the woman staying on board for the music video.
Von Alexander created a space for Black women to be themselves around other Black women. He also started a group chat with all of the women in the shoot, which he said the women loved. They were able to talk with one another and form new relationships.
The beauty of Black women. (Picture by Mahdi Gransberry)
He planned for the music video to be four hours but the shoot ended up taking about five to six hours. The video was shot at Klode Park, which has a clear view of Lake Michigan, lots of greenery and a peaceful setting. The women shot in front of the water, in the water, in a tree, on a stairwell case, a ledge and more.
“We just utilized everything that was here,” said Von Alexander.
To make the entire process complete, Von Alexander wanted a way to bring everyone together to watch Solange, which is why he had a viewing party.
He said everyone is living through their phones now and can be too detached from life, so why not bring people together to enjoy in something many people were waiting to see?
“I’m still an artist and a human being,” he said. “I should be able to look everyone in their eye and say thank you.”
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