Little X was warmer than his current New York base this week while in Jamaica to shoot the video for Mavado's latest single, "Last Night."
One of many hot singles from Mavado's debut album, "Gangsta for Life â the Symphony of David Brooks,""Last Night" had a video shoot shrouded in sentiment and heartfelt love.
Using the Cassava Piece Gully Side where Mavado actually grew up for a location, the Little X headed video crew brought life to the vivid lyrics of "Last Night."
"We wanted the video to be as real as possible," said Mavado. "We... even filmed scenes in the actual house I was raised in to keep it as real as can be. We didn't bring in actors, we used Cubans and other people from the community in all the roles."
Done in "marathon filming" fashion, the shoot lasted 16 hours. Prominent video director, Little X, who graciously provided his services for this low budget shoot for rates below his norm, was happy to participate in the project out of sheer love.
Besides being a huge fan of Mavado since his bursting on the scene; Little X says he was motivated to cutting his current New York University Cinematography classes to do the video shoot, because of his love for Jamaican culture.
"I have Trinidadian roots so I have a natural bond with the Caribbean," he explained. "I love Jamaica, and its biggest export â the music and culture... it was worth every moment! I figured missing film school to shoot a video wasn't so bad anyway!"
There are many unique features to the video like cameo appearances from fellow Alliance colleagues: Bounty Killer, Bling Dawg, Serani, Flex, Anarchy, Kibaki, Advance and Foota Hype. Also stepping out to show support to Mavado was Foota Hype's mother who steals the scene as a grieving mother.
In addition, the high-quality, revolutionary new âRed Cameraâ was used for the shoot that really resembled a movie set - with shoot-outs, crime scenes and bike stunts; giving an exciting backdrop to the song.
Little X had a non stop day, but a satisfying one. Mavado's manager, Julian Jones-Griffith said, "Even though it was a long day and night shoot, the atmosphere on set was great...We truly appreciate the love and effort X put into the project."