“This was a song I heard nine months ago and couldn’t get out of my head,” Odd Future manager Christian Clancy recounted to NPR. In an effort to show a softer side to the perpetually misunderstood rapper, Clancy proposed that Tyler, the Creator take on an anonymous band’s song and direct their video.

“We thought it would be a cool opportunity for Tyler to show another side of himself. I played the song for him on a plane, not knowing whether he would like it (he’s a tough audience), and he did. What people take from it is up to the viewer I suppose. Controlling the narrative seems contradictive to the point. For me it’s a challenge to the assumption that ignorance is bliss, and that challenge is as timely as it’s ever been.”

Titled ‘Glowing’, the video features two cute kids falling in love and growing old as the world falls apart. It juxtaposes famine, war, floods and other tragedies against pink flamingos, flowering fields and bubbles. The band’s decision to stay anonymous could either be a smart play to build mystique or just wariness about the territory that Tyler may have taken the project into. For those who want to deny Tyler has a socially-conscious streak – maybe you just weren’t paying attention.

Mica Nantes

[Via.]