Midwest based artist Mavenue held it down for Wichita, Kansas, with his latest single ‘Codes’; which has yet to be released on streaming platforms.
Despite ‘Codes’ not being available for streaming quite yet, as a present to his audience, Mavenue dropped the music video for his new single on his birthday, April 2nd - which is now available on YouTube.
The music video is a knock out. The visuals are immaculate in their display of the Wichita streets and includes a subtle yet slick promotion of a local barber shop (O.G.'s Barber Shop) as Mavenue enters the scene with a fresh fade. Although O.G.'s is not responsible for the fresh fade seen on Mavenue in this video, he told me he had no problem giving them a shout out, as he highlighted his Wichita surroundings.
Mav's entrance into this video is nothing short of cinematic. From the retro microphone that hangs in the balance as if it is tethered to the sky to Mavenue's purple sweater representing his home state of Kansas, Mav looks as if he is about ready to announce an epic boxing match up.
In the background, a mural depicting Hip-Hop legends Nipsey Hussle, Tupac, and Biz Markie seemingly watching Mavenue's back as he performs his track in broad daylight while he teases his blunt.
When asked about his choice of backdrop, Mavenue replied “I haven't seen anybody shoot a music video there so I figured it was the perfect spot." Mavenue's instinct proved correct because it was well suited for this song both visually and conceptually. The legends behind Mavenue understood a thing or two about “codes,” to say the least.
With less than a 100 views since its release at the time of this publication, this music video is a sleeper. Y'all better quit playing with this man and play his music video instead.
Lyrically speaking, Mavenue's delivery embodies the definitions of calm, cool, and collected; and the twang in his words reflects his Kansas upbringing. When asked how many Kansas references he made in ‘Codes,’ Mavenue replied “I made about three.” By my count, I received zero points for only knowing Andrew Wiggens is but not understanding the reference….
So to help everyone else out, here is the list and breakdown of all the Kansas References Mavenue made in ‘Codes’:
1) “Shaking up the rectangle like Andrew Wiggens.”
Mavenue explanation: “Andrew Wiggins played college basketball at KU (Kansas University) & was a #1 pick in the NBA draft.”
2) “I'm from where every other sentence is a quote.”
Mavenue explanation: “People from my hometown, but really in Kansas in general, people speak in riddles a lot. We just country like that.”
3) “that’s the parsons n*gga”
Mavenue explanation: “[I'm] repping my hometown.”
Despite the fact that each of these Kansas references went clear over my head, I was still hooked all the way through the end of the video.
Because thats how Mavenue's hypnotic effect takes hold of his listener as he delivers that 'head nod' type music where you just sit back and enjoy the authenticity in his lyrics.
When asked about his inspiration for ‘Codes’ Mavenue, stated it “was a multitude of things.” He emphasized, “you got codes within those codes that come to you as you go through life”, not sparing the opportunity to explain that he really means “moral codes” which he said “I'm big on.”
Plus the chorus is the hook, line, and sinker, because how could you not enjoy the many different ways Mavenue used the word “codes”? It's a mantra and motto that is catchy, with a dose of truth to it. "Codes for the phones" is a two for one special for those who love a good double entendre. “Codes” also represents "tangible codes" he explained. As he'll tell it and I believe it, “it just went together nicely.”
Watch ‘Codes’ by Mavenue and drop a comment, hit like, and subscribe to his page to see more great music videos!
This article was written by W. Kazi Mbugua, JD | VP of All In-House Entertainment