If you’re heading from Manhattan, Brooklyn’s Brownsville lies past the posh neighborhoods, an area that has yet to see much of the gentrification that’s taken hold of the borough. That’s where the rapper (and firefighter) Ka grew up, and it’s where he sets his self-directed new video for “Jungle.” Between shots of him rhyming along to the Night’s Gambit track over bluesy guitar trills, the camera finds all the rough edges of the neighborhood, from signs warning of armed guards and K-9 units to abandoned lots to discarded police barricades. It’s way grittier than his chess-themed “Prince Akhi,” reflecting Ka’s experience in the notoriously rough area. With him behind the camera, there’s no looking at Brownsville through rose-colored lenses.
Watch Ka Take a Bluesy Trip Through the Brooklyn ‘Jungle’
