HipHopDX Premiere: In less than 90 seconds, Alfred Banks’ album trailer for his forthcoming project, The Beautiful, manages to transfer the anxiety the New Orleans rapper is feeling as he prepares to perform his music in front of an audience. As he wrestles with the words in his head telling him, “Don’t do it. Nobody’s going to be there. Nobody cares about you,” he somehow finds the courage to put one foot in front of the other and walk through the venue door. The teaser comes after his heartfelt tribute to his fallen brother, “The Funeral Of Orlanda Banks,” and continues his life’s emotional narrative.
“After losing my oldest brother to suicide because of his schizophrenia, I had to leave his funeral early for a show I was contracted to perform at,” Banks tells HipHopDX. “‘The Beautiful’ takes place during the car ride from the funeral to the show. On the Album, I develop schizophrenia just like Orlandas did and I battle that throughout the album. It’s a turbulent, but beautiful story.
“It took about two years to write this album,” Banks adds. “I dove headfirst into some of the most powerful emotions I’ve ever felt to create this body of work. I was nervous at first, but now I can’t wait for the release. This trailer sums up the album in a nutshell and captures that feeling. I love it.”
The Beautiful is scheduled to arrive March 20. Watch the trailer above.
