Wistful nostalgia, of the vein innate to many millennials, is the mood pervading “Get This Money”, from Detroit’s resident alt-R&B crooner James Linck. The tune is newly manifested in a music video, half performance and half narrative, but wholly captivating.
“It’s about realizing a future everybody told you was gonna be there isn’t gonna be there,” Linck said of the song and its theme of disillusionment. “Get This Money” hails from Linck’s debut solo EP, Fortress of Solitude, available on iTunes Friday, Aug. 8.
The video depicts Linck performing before a packed audience, leading the crowd with his silken and serpentine vocals. Seductive beats and a dusky ambience establish the song’s enticing vibe. Supporting Linck on stage is Detroit poet-rapper Mic Write, energizing the audience to the next level. The performance shots are interspersed with footage of a strong female character (Chelsea Harabedian) making her rounds to various musicians selling some unspecified product. Among the Detroit musical alumni who cameo are Doc Waffles, CF Hustle, Eddie Logix and members of Passalacqua, Jamaican Queens, and Cold Men Young, a group Mic Write himself belongs to.
The video was conceived of and produced by filmmaking duo Jamin Townsley and Andrew Miller, collectively known as The Right Brothers. Miller directed the piece.
“When I first heard the track, I immediately knew the style of the video,” Miller said. “I think I called Chelsea and asked if she would do it before I talked with James about it. We originally planned to finish it in like a week or so, but that was late last fall.”
A particularly vicious snow season halted filming until the spring.
“Those scenes of her around town are a mix of late November 2013 and early July 2014,” Miller said. “The cameos happened naturally. All those people are good friends and neighbors of mine who I’ve worked with at some point. But it felt good to get all those Detroit musicians in one video. It’s the video version of a posse track.”
The performance scenes were filmed at the New Dodge Lounge in Hamtramck, a smaller city within Detroit.
“We just called a bunch of people and asked them to come up and get wild for a James Linck video and everyone was like, ‘Oh hell, yeah.’”