With “Myself, Building Blocks”, queer rapper Thed Jewel opens up about the difficult and personal process to overcome a severe accident.
The latest audiovisual story being told by Thed Jewel is a true one – a gritty journal entry detailing the rapper’s struggle to rebuild himself in the most literal sense, after a major accident forced the possibility of him losing an arm and a leg. Every trippy, distorted step Thed takes through the park here isn’t just a miracle of rehabilitation and determination, but a physical recitation of the mantra that fueled his recovery: “love the you you create”.
Musically, “Myself Building Blocks” is like a densely woven tapestry. Thed Jewel‘s loosely flowing verses carry a poeticism not unlike that of André 3000, as they bounce jaggedly across the beat with the irregularity of an American football. The off-kilter sensation it creates suits the tumultuous subject matter being expressed, and Thed’s struggle and ultimate triumph feels palpable through every crunchy, overdriven word.
Fashion label Last Heavy, who directed the video, and producers Brook D’LEAU and Micah James also bear some serious mentioning here. They make the track not only reflect Thed’s journey as he tells it, but also the perspective of those who watched as Thed took each new step on the road from immense pain to, well, a walk in the park.
