Protoje has released a new music video for “1000 Lashes,” featuring Stephen Marley. The reggae track appears on Protoje’s latest album, The Art of Acceptance, released through Ineffable Music and In.Digg.Nation Collective.
The song relates to generational injustice, exploitation, child labor, and global inequality. Protoje also considers his own relative privilege and the responsibility that comes with it. Meanwhile, Marley delivers the chorus and reinforces the song’s focus on collective responsibility for future generations with the line, “All the children are ours.”
Winta James, Universvl and T.Y. Jake produced “1000 Lashes.” Bright piano keys and a relaxed kick-and-snare rhythm provide a warm contrast to the track’s serious subject.
Directed by SAMO, the accompanying video extends those themes through footage filmed in Ethiopia and Jamaica. The locations connect the song’s discussion of injustice and shared history to sites with cultural and historical significance.
Protoje said the production included scenes filmed at Ethiopia’s Museum of the Battle of Adwa, which commemorates Ethiopia’s 1896 victory over invading Italian forces.
“We filmed parts of the video throughout Ethiopia, including at the Museum of the Battle of Adwa,” shared Protoje. “That victory holds such an important place in history as an African nation defeating a European colonial power and preserving its sovereignty. We were fortunate enough to get an inside look at the museum and include some of that history in the film. We captured moments from different parts of Ethiopia before bringing the story back home to Jamaica, filming at 56 Hope Road on those legendary steps with Stephen “Ragga” Marley.”
Author: World Music Central News Room
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