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A$AP Rocky introduces a new dark, psychedelic world. The rap star released on Monday a chaotic video to his new single “Punk Rocky,” featuring appearances from Winona Ryder, Thundercat and Danny Elfman.
The video begins with Ryder lying unfazed on a plastic lounge chair while her muscular partner paces nearby and screams into his phone.
Afterwards, Rocky emerges from a garage with curlers in his hair, jumps into a mosh pit and receives a punch in the face.
Escalation and arrest
Shortly thereafter, the police arrive, round up Rocky and his friends, and force them into a patrol car as the camera zooms in on his damaged, talking eye.
“I wanna fall in love, don’t want no broken heart/Don’t wanna grow apart,” Rocky repeats in the catchy chorus, his eyelids moving like a mouth.
In another scene, Ryder finally comes over and offers Rocky a plate of cookies. When her partner sees her hanging out with Rocky, he freaks out. Rocky and his crew are then quickly taken to a police station, where they are photographed while the artist raps behind bars and throws money at an elderly lawyer.
Burton-style finale
The video ends with Rocky running through the streets firing a gun into the air before he is again seen in the back of a police car and is catapulted wildly through the back window.
“You’re punch drunk in love, left me with a blackened eye/She don’t like those rapper guys, take me back,” Rocky raps in the outro. “This punch drunk in love (Love), left me with a blackened eye/Right now, I’d like to apologize, take me back.”
The clip clearly bears the signature of Tim Burton. Featuring appearances from Elfman and Ryder, both of whom worked with Burton on Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, as well as his fantastic imagery. The video gives a taste of Rocky’s upcoming album “Don’t Be Dumb”, which will be released on January 16th. Burton designed some of the album artwork as well as an accompanying film. He also told Vanity Fair that Elfman set music to “a whole bunch of the songs” on the album.
According to a press release, the cover artwork “features six of Rocky’s signature personas, brought to life in Burton’s signature style. Each character offers a glimpse into unforgettable moments from Rocky’s illustrious career.”