Two music genres battle for supremacy in Sau Ali's stylish yet gritty promo for Jords and Lil Sykes' Drill Vs Grime. The narrative follows the artists as they enter an abstract simulation, in which the two genres go head-to-head in a high-energy showdown.Sau Ali recreates a street environment, in which both types of music emerged, in a studio environment - a rather brilliant move. It was also shot by DoP Henry Gill on black and white 16mm film - Kodak Double-x 7222 - that adds another layer of texture to the visual. "The track is militant and explosive. I wanted to complement that by exploring the iconography of the two genres," says Sau Ali. "The ‘Street Monolith’ (concrete wall) that Jords & Lil Sykes stand either side of; the huge speaker cone that pulsates above it; and the severed island street scenes... they all speak to these British genres’ cultural kinship and shared DNA."I wanted to create an experience that emphasised the retrospective theme but leaned towards a surreal tone to match the abstract narrative. DoP Henry Gill bought that to life. Shooting on 16mm and heading down a moody and nocturnal direction that I wanted the world to exist in."Production designer Jade Adeyemi essentially created the entire world. I wanted everything to look like we’d lifted it from real places. Jade understood and accomplished that beautifully."I worked closely on this concept with talented VFX artist Lee Delves before the job was even commissioned. We wanted to achieve an exaggerated visual that still maintained its authenticity. The ‘Genre Morphing’ shot (Jords & Lil Sykes standing on either side of the street monolith) was intended to be achieved ‘in camera’ but budget limitations meant Lee was tasked with creating the shot in post - which actually accomplished the otherworldly sentiment that I was looking for, and is an example of how limitations can lead to great creative solutions in a music video."

Nathan James Tettey reunites with Headie One to direct a cinematic promo for viral track Martin's Sofa. The director leans into the themes of the track, which pay tribute to a friend who helped the artist right at the start of his career. A montage of vignettes play out across the four-minute runtime, ranging from dreamlike, vibrant set pieces to exterior performance sections, all tied together with a sense of community and friendship. And having just signed to Knucklehead for global representation, it's a great way for Tettey to start a new chapter in his career. "Making Martin's Sofa was the most out of body experience I’ve endured in a while but I loved every second of it and to see the response from Headie’s fans has been incredible to witness because really making this video was for them as well as for Headie and Martin," Tettey has said."Martin's actual sofa is real and was used in the video but the sentiment of what Headie is talking about is also real as well and for me was perfectly illustrated in the process all of us went through trying to bring his vision to life. Getting up each day at the crack of dawn and working into the deep of night to try and solve as many problems and tick as many boxes as is humanly possible before getting back up to do it all again the next day."I just want to thank every member of the immediate team... Myself, Headie and Martin couldn’t have done it without you…"

Tom Emmerson directs a thoroughly entertaining promo for AntsLive, with the London rapper performing his latest track from a surprising location - the Italian Alps.With the engaging style previously on show in Emmerson's UKMVA-nominated video for Tweakin, Ants tears it up across glorious mountainous vistas - riding on horseback, hanging out with the locals, including the goats, wooing the farmer's daughter, and hitching a ride on the side of a local fire engine - for Number One Candidate. The brilliantly surprising location for a grime track is a bold yet ingenious move, captured in vibrant cinematography on colour film by Isaac Eastgate.But Ants is always the star of the show, oozing cheeky personality and a sense of fun, even while sharing the screen with quite possibly the greatest goat of all time. And he also shows impressive horse riding skills, performing the track while riding his steed in a full gallop. "We poured months of hard work into making this one a reality," explains Tom Emmerson. "No major label. No established production company. All off our own backs."Ants learned to ride a horse in ten days for it and we spent two weeks filming in the mountains. This was the experience of a lifetime."So happy to have it out in the world. We're on the edge of vitality right now and hoping it goes all the way."

Teeeezy C directs a stylish and dynamic promo for WSTRN, featuring Skillibeng.Combining thermal imagery, high energy performance and some slick cinematography, the video starts 2023 off with a bang, and plenty of captivating visuals - involving moments from a grimy gangsta lifestyle - to keep viewers hooked. Placing emphasis on tight match cuts and footage shot on a travel probe lens, the video is a refined and refreshing piece of work, elevated by a film emulation grade.

In his latest collab with Meekz - their eighth in the past two years - KC Locke directs a top-dollar, action-packed promo for the Manchester rapper. In the video for Say Less, we see Meekz and his crew cruise around a remote location in Land Rovers, captured via frenetic drone shots and thrilling camera moves on the ground. "I wanted to come with a high adrenaline offering for the Meekz debut Mixtape release," explains Locke. "The song had the feeling of momentum that one of our previous videos had - Can't Stop Won't Stop - so I wanted to bring that high action NDA to life again and demonstrate a Tom Cruise-type action sequence."Building upon his trademark style of high-paced action and captivating performance, Locke boasts plenty of experience in this world now, and it shows on-screen. "I feel like I have a lot of experience now with fast action and I feel very comfortable pushing these type of action sequence creatives and they are always so much fun to make."On the morning of this shoot, our DOP feel seriously ill and couldn't come to set, we had no time to bring in another DOP at such a remote location, so I had to step to both DoP and direct the video which involved ultra arm tracking vehicles, FPV drones and a lot of hand held operation. It's in these situations that you got to just crack on and make it happen - luckily we have a strong team who backed me and we went full steam!"Through our continued Manchester collaboration myself and Meekz have done 8 videos together so far over the past two years and always push the boundaries on each and every one! Meekz really does his own stunts and could fit easily into an action movie!"

Jay Green reunites with Kam-BU to deliver a biting and very timely state-of-the-nation satire to accompany the rapper's fierce polemic against the current Conservative government. Kam-BU's lyrics for Eton Mess speak about how current government legislation treats the working class population with contempt, and how the Tory party is making a mockery of the British political landscape. In the video, the artist is working in a corner shop, while the latest in a series of puppet prime ministers - Richard Fibber - is making false promises on TV.Inspired by the most famous of all puppets, Green has Fibber's nose get ever-larger and longer, Pinnochio-style, as he spins out more lies, and makes more backroom deals. Meanwhile Kam-BU is the disillusioned everyman who stands up to him and the government, taunting him online and off. And with an uncanny sense of art representing life, the lying and cheating soon catches up to the man in charge.With a captivating, fast-moving style, including superb use of both prosthetics, VFX and animation, Green packs a huge amount into the less-than- two minute running time - and sends a message of hope that good people can still bring bad people to account.

KLVDR's 11 minute epic for Stormzy's big return with Mel Made Me Do It is remarkable in a number of ways, and not least of course due to the star quality and sheer number of the cameo appearances. And yes, that does include the Special One...More to the point is the ambition of the piece. Fom the chatshow hosted by Jonathan Ross and ZeZe Mills, with Stormz sharing the sofa with Louis Theroux and Dina Asher-Smith - watched by Usain Bolt, at his home in Jamaica - to performance elements in the studio and the meeting with Jose Mourihno, to the momentous final chapter bringing a couple of generations of Black British talent together that includes a tribute to the late Jamal Edwards.At that point, Stormzy hands over duties to provide the spoken-word piece called Greatness - written by Wretch 32 and read by Michaela Cole. It's a quietly powerful climax of an impressive and entertaining production - this was a five day shoot, plus shooting Bolt in Kingston - that amounts to a big statement of intent by Stormzy - and reminds us of his unmistakeable charisma. And of course, the eponymous Mel, stylist Melissa Holdbrook-Akpose, namechecked by Stormzy in the songtitle, is there too, both behind and in front of camera - with her lint roller.

Kelvin Jones has directed the video for Aitch's My G, featuring Ed Sheeran - taken from the Manchester rapper's recently released debut album - where the majority of the video budget was donated to the Down’s Syndrome Association.The stripped-back promo centres around Aitch writing a letter to his younger sister, Gracie, reflecting on their relationship and the love he has for her, and in the video he is positioned in front of an old-fashioned television set displaying images and memories of him and his sister growing up. Ed Sheeran features as an animated illustration, singing the lyrical verses of the song.The promo was filmed on a day-long shoot at the Langdon Down Centre, the home of the Down’s Syndrome Association Charity. The Centre opened in 1868, as a home and place of education for people with learning disabilities. The centre broke boundaries and stigmas at the time of it’s opening, it is therefore significant that is the setting of this promo, which talks of acceptance and unconditional love. “I have a close relationship with Aitch in and out of work, and it was a huge privilege to work on this song which is dedicated to his sister, who we all know and love," says Kelvin Jones. "It was a pleasure to bring this visual to life and try new things at the same time - this was my first time working with animation and I enjoyed it a lot, I will definitely be doing that again.”