Cartel Madras Unveil New Thematic Universe in Slick ‘FEAR & LOATHING’ Video
Toronto hip-hop producer Dom Dias adds an eerieness to sibling duo Contra and Eboshi’s ruthless rap
Indian-origin Canadian hip-hop duo Cartel Madras. Photo: Gajan Balan
Indo-Canadian hip-hop duo Cartel Madras serve up a slice of madness with their latest single “FEAR & LOATHING,” supplied with a high octane, suspense-driven music video co-directed by filmmaker Jashan Makan with siblings Contra and Eboshi.
The song, produced by Toronto-based Dom Dias, is part of their upcoming project The Serpent & The Tiger, which in turn is attached to the ongoing Project Goonda trilogy of releases. References to integrity, steadfastness and badassery (plus the city of Chennai) fly thick and fast between Eboshi and Contra, while the music video unravels a seemingly intense tale of betrayal, desolation and vengeance.
They called on actor/model Sheerah Ravindren from the U.K. (who portrays ‘The Serpent’) and Kerala-origin Canadian artist Sharanya M (as ‘The Tiger’) for the song that they term as an “exploration in duality.” The duo say in a satement, “‘FEAR & LOATHING,’ is composed of several stories and represents the heart of our upcoming project, The Serpent & The Tiger. [It’s] our most ambitious filmmaking experiment yet.”
The music video was shot across Toronto, London (U.K.) and Calgary over the course of a month. The duo say in their statement, “We were inspired by Season 1 of True Detective (2014), and the films Dark City (1998), Skyfall (2012), and La Femme Nikita (1990). Taking visual cues from Brian De Palma, and studying the pacing of works by Marisha Pessl, ‘FEAR & LOATHING’ is a culmination of our influences and love of artful storytelling with striking cinematography.”
The song follows previous singles such as “Drift” and “Dream Girl Concept,” which are among 10 tracks on The Serpent & The Tiger. Releasing on August 21st via Sub Pop and Royal Mountain Records, the record includes rapper-producer Backxwash, hip-hop artist Airospace, American hip-hop producer Tyris White, Chicago-based producer Jide and Shiro Jackson. Project Goonda previously included Cartel Madras EPs such as Trapistan (2018) and Age of the Goonda (2019).
Watch the video for “Fear & Loathing” below. Stream the song here.
