Music Video: Raekwon-Ferry Boat Killaz

 

Shallah Raekwon the Chef gears up for some Wu-Tang style black ops on “Ferry Boat Killaz.”  Like the video for “Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang,” it revolves around Raekwon in the vocal booth and Alchemist behind the boards.  Unlike that video, there is no melding of live-action and animation.  Neither, for that matter, is there an actual storyline.  There is just a series of images which fit in with the motif of the song.  We see Rae sitting outside of the Staten Island ferry and being chauffeured around on the highway.   A newly released Prodigy silently rides alongside him, likely enjoying the scenery and savoring his freedom. 

 

Since the clip is so short and simplistic, there isn’t much to critique.  For whatever reason, the slow coasting mood of the song reminds me of the scene from Enter the Dragon where all of the main characters ride along in junks to a larger vessel that will take them to Hans island.  That strikes me as odd since Lalo Schifrin’s jazzy yet funky score has nothing in coming with Alchemist's track.  It trudges along at the same tempo as Schifrin’s variation on the main theme to Bruce Lee’s classic, but that’s about it.  Perhaps it’s the fact that I’ve always associated that moment with boats and water.

Anyway, the song was one of the better selections on Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang, and now it has a visual companion to save listeners the trouble of having to create their own imagery by simply listening and using their imaginations.  The camerawork is competent, and it’s nice to know that the Chef is still able to get his videos out there even if the major outlets won’t play them.  Reminds me of when the Wu used to dominate entire blocks of programming on Rap City back in the mid 90’s.  The Wu revolution is still being televised, just on a different wavelength than before.