New Video: Welcome to Infinity by Buck-N-Nice
Ottawa duo, Buck-N-Nice just dropped a powerful politically fueled and very meaningful video for “Welcome to Infinity.”
“Welcome to Infinity” is their first video single from their upcoming sophomore album, EMAG, to be released this summer. The video was filmed in a single day at various locations with historic monuments in Toronto by Boom Shoal Enterprises, who also directed, produced and edited the piece.
The song doesn’t hold any punches and SawBuck tells it how it is, “Columbus Day in North America is a Hitler holiday in Germany.” I love the imagery of So Nice, slowly dropping pages he ripped out of book he is holding. History is told by the winner and “a liar tells you that he never lies.”
“We decided this was going to be the first single from the album before it was even finished. It was originally an a cappella single verse for live shows, that was written as a poem, but after being approached by multiple people about how the content was slightly offensive or bold, we were slightly offended and decided to get bold,” says SawBuck, the rapper half of Buck-N-Nice. “This song is to wake people up. Offended? Say it. We don’t write lies to make people feel comfortable.”
I have so much respect for Buck-n-Nice for this piece. “Welcome to Infinity” is extremely powerful and real, and definitely not shy. It is a message that has to be said more often and more importantly heard.
We had a quick chat with SawBuck about “Welcome to Infinity,” the track and the video. Check out the interview and video below:
Where is the intro video portion taken from?
That’s a cameo feature from our friend Jonny Rockwell (from Philly Moves). He’s playing a role representing the masses in taking “stories”, or, the history books, copying and passing on its information as the complete story, knowing that there’s tons of truth missing. The whole story isn’t in the book, he knows it, but doesn’t seem to care and still values it. This is what history is. A collection of convenient stories to appease those in control and keep the oppressed where they were plotted to be.
Where was this filmed? And what is the significance of the location to you or the song?
The video was produced, directed, shot and edited in Toronto by Boom Shoal Enterprises (Dan Jardine and Alex Zampino). The various locations throughout Toronto all feature historic monuments which to be honest aren’t as important individually as their representation that history is in front of us every day, and for the most part, people ignore it. Nobody knows the significance of these statues, and if they dig deep enough, a lot of them praise oppressors of assimilation and the colonization of the Indigenous Peoples of this country.
So Nice is seen ripping up a book during the video. What book is it?
The book you see So Nice ripping up is actually early 1900s Americana; a book from the Department of History that should be on somebody’s collection shelf. Alex Zampino owned it, and donated it to the cause of this video. So, there’s genuinely a piece of history being ripped up throughout the entire video. A subtle, but major addition to the concept that many won’t even recognize. We really appreciate this addition to the piece.
Can you speak a little to the importance and relevance of the song giving whats going in Canada? Or simply why it is important to you to cover this subject?
Indigenous issues get slept on by most people; unless it directly affects them. If you step back and look at the mess that’s been made as proverbial broken bones, it becomes confusing as to why the issues are being treated with Advil as opposed to X-Rays and casts. Nothing is being fixed. These issues run so deep, with so many levels, that the only way to truly start to make progress, is to start at the beginning.
Speaking generally, as not all people are of this frame of mind, but many people put the blame on the Indigenous communities themselves, and their leaders, as though an equal playing field is and always was the case. Currently, there are so many issues affecting these communities, and it’s the responsibility of Canada as a whole to respond with assistance. Why don’t more people care about the lack of fresh water for entire communities? Why aren’t more people concerned about the suicide epidemic in Manitoba? Why aren’t more people in defense of sacred grounds being abused? Why are sports teams allowed to use racial slurs for team names and logos? Why are the stereotypes and dollar amount “provided” by the government basically the only thing the average person knows about Indigenous People? Why is Sir John A. Macdonald on the 10 dollar bill? Why is the Hudson Bay Company a Canadian staple despite their spreading of smallpox? I can keep going.
The issues run deep, and they are many. The answer is in the root. The genocide and cultural assimilation that was re-written by the history books, and the everlasting propaganda is what seemingly stops people from caring, or being more vocal. If that’s the case, we decided to tackle the issue from the root. We wanted to wake people up about the beginnings of this nation. This can also be related to by other cultures that have, or are experiencing similar injustices. In terms of personal relation, I have First Nations roots by way of my father, but that’s not why the song was written, so that doesn’t even need to be brought up. It’s not a First Nations issue; it’s a Canadian issue; it’s an educational and historical issue. Regardless of roots, this is a topic that all Canadians need to be made aware of. These issues need to stop being overlooked and minimized, but acted on. That starts with the truth about our history, and from there, people can grow to understand why things are the way they are now.
Any shows, new track or something exciting coming up I can mention to drive some more attention your way?
Our sophomore album, EMAG, is set for a summer 2016 release. A solid date will be announced in May as we’re currently in the mixing and mastering stage. Following this release, we have 2 more singles on the way before the album drop, along with some more visuals. As for shows, we’re planning a tour with Ottawa vets, Flight Distance, so those dates will be announced in the coming months. Lots of stuff happening between now and summer!