Tierra Whack – “Link”
Three years ago, the Philadelphia rapper and singer Tierra Whack made a name for herself with the 15-song, 15-minute visual album Whack World. That project established Whack as a bright, utopian absurdist with a wild visual imagination, and everything that she’d done since has supported that idea. Whack hasn’t made an album after Whack World. Instead, she’s been releasing music in single-track and two-song chunks, like last year’s “Dora” or the one-two punch of “Peppers & Onions” and “feel good.” And she’s made sure that the images match the music.
Today, Whack has done it again. Whack’s newest single is called “Link,” and it’s a giddy, cartoonish track with bloopy candy synths — something about halfway between Doja Cat’s pop-trap and Charli XCX’s giddy hyperpop. In an open-hearted singsong croon, Whack talks about how “you should come and build with me.” But she’s not speaking rap vernacular — or, at least, she’s not only doing that. She’s also talking about Legos.
The “Link” video opens on a strange planet, with Whack getting together with a bunch of brightly-colored alien friends. Together, they build a spaceship out of Legos, and Whack takes off for the stars. Things go in even more psychedelic directions from there. Whack made the video with director Cat Solen and with the help of school kids from Philadelphia, and Lego actually sponsored the project. It’s part of the company’s Rebuild The World campaign. Check it out below.