Qtion: The Masked Mic Checka and His First Music Video
If I asked you what a masked rapper from South London’s music might sound like, it would be all too easy to assume Qtion - pronounced “Q-shun” - made drill music and sounded like every other drill MC in the game. This presumption, however, couldn’t be more wrong. Qtion’s music is a straight vibe.
His first video was released earlier today, and is the video for a song recorded earlier this year titled Lockdown Reminiscing (feat. Lucas Ramsell). The track begins with its hook, partly dueted, matching Qtion’s vocals with the mild autotuning of Lucas Ramsell and employing diatonic harmony, before Qtion’s verses tell an honest, original and emotional reminiscent story. As Qtion explains: “I was just reminiscing over the past 6 years and recapping some of my experiences, what’s changed and what’s remained the same. Still smoking but the ambition’s growing.”
“My first video is simply a practice in visual aesthetics”
The video itself opens with Qtion in a vintage San Francisco 49ers jacket and his signature motorcycle helmet before displaying shots in an array of locations such as a field, aqueducts, under bridges, with Qtion holding smoke flares and rolling biftas through his motorcycle helmet throughout. As if this wasn’t visually stimulating enough, innovative effects have been made use of in post-production. On the matter of the Lockdown Reminiscing video, Qtion told SOuthside that “My first video is simply a practice in visual aesthetics, what looks good and what doesn’t. Some of the locations I go to on the regular, but I’ve been to all these places during lockdown for various reasons.”
Make no mistake, however, as this is not Qtion’s first song ever; tracks such as SUNDAY and ALIEN display certain glimpses of lyrical and verbal capability once thought to have only been possessed by veteran emcees.
“I’m nervous, but once this release is done the rollout of songs coming up will raise the bar completely. I’m gassed to show people the new sound I’ve been working on.” Qtion is not so gassed to show people who he is under the mask, however. “I explain who’s behind the mask in an upcoming song, so you’ll have to stick with me to find out.”
See below to watch Qtion’s Lockdown Reminiscing video on Youtube.