Proud Waldorfian and DMV rapper J.A.E marks his new wave of music and artist re-branding with the official music video for “Ocean Floor,” one of the singles from his forthcoming project called SAVE YOURSELF, power packed with the most esoteric of beats, lyrics and stories. “Ocean Floor” is the epitome of this approaching energy. “Ocean Floor” samples the popular Nintendo video game “Pikman,” as J.A.E takes an alternative route from his upper-tier rap ability by displaying his vocal range in this ballad about family, self-love and liberation.
The music video is animated by creative Cozy Pop, with the setting being centered in a video game. The setting is complimented by a crisp animated style reminiscent of Scott Pilgrim, but with it’s own originality. Cozy Pop is flawless in the artistic imitation of an actual video game, centering on the animated woman character who dives under the ocean and battles seemingly endless hordes of enemies with dazzling, fluid, and potent attacks that don’t waste a single movement.
The woman character moves through the waves as a boy she continually reaches out to save morphs into a malevolent beast evolving in lethal power per stage in the game’s progression. With each transformation, from Insecurity to Anxiety to Anger, the monster gets more and more deadly. Still, the woman fights through the enemy waves and each iteration of the monster to save the boy, as he looks to be writhing in pain from the monster possessing him.
The music video is an obvious, yet magnificently articulated ode to the monstrous struggles of mental health. Mental illnesses, figuratively speaking, possess their hosts and make them lash out at their loved ones as the hosts, against their will, turn into something they don’t want to be. The mental illness becomes uglier and uglier, more possessive, and fatal in the same vein. Notice in the music video of how the boy, possessed by the monster, cries out to be saved while writhing in pain during every transformation, even though he attacks the woman character trying to save him in full force.
Regardless, the woman character continues to reach out, taking the brunt of every hit until she completes the impossible mission and holds the boy in her arms after saving him.
The symbolic overtone of this music video is of the most esoteric, meticulous, and heartwarming quality. It displays that we should never stop fighting for those we love afflicted by mental illnesses, for they too are human: suffering and a slave to the different forms of mental illness in ways sometimes that they cannot control. This is all okay, as love, patience, and the power of the human will emitting from ourselves/loved ones can help us persevere through the darkest of times.
In his own words, J.A.E talks about the inspiration behind the song, full of intentional lyricism and a spiritually soothing instrumental reminiscent of a healing ocean:
[“Ocean Floor” was] my ode to sleepless nights of depression when my mother’s words were all I could’ve needed. I released the power of knowing I was loved and looked to spread the message to as many as possible.
- J.A.E
The power of having a platform is so incredibly important, especially for those with the articulate brilliance (orally, musically, or visually) who have the range and emotional intelligence to present such a nuanced dialogue. In fact, this is what J.A.E hopes to accomplish with his artistry namesake and platform:
[J.A.E is] my open letter to who I am. From my sexuality to my confidence issues. I put it all on the table and dissect how even though these things may have gotten me down, they made me the man I am today.
- J.A.E
Be on the lookout for the debut of SAVE YOURSELF by J.A.E. Follow J.A.E and Cozy Art on social media to keep up with their outstanding art.
J.A.E :
Instagram & Twitter: @loveyourselfjae
Cozy Pop:
Instagram & Twitter: @cozypop_art
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