King Youngblood Premiere Their Majestic Music Video for “cried in my cadillac”

It’s been a monumental year for our friends in King Youngblood, and there’s no sign of the train stopping anytime soon. We have been long-time supporters of the Afropunk band, and we are again pleased to help debut their latest music video for “cried in my cadillac,” a track you can find on their latest record Big Thank, released this past May via Dicelab Records. The video is a sort of feel-good acknowledgement of the prevalence of mental health issues, particularly during the holiday season.

Each year, there is an escalation in mental health problems and crises around this time. The song and video are meant to act as a reminder that seeking out help is not anything to be ashamed of and that it should be viewed as a courageous act because you are taking a stand for yourself and doing the right thing, which so many people are unable to come to terms with. It ties in very well with the band’s charitable efforts via their non-profit organization, Hold Your Crown. In the clip, lead singer Cameron Lavi-Jones sings the song as if he is explaining his life to a therapist. And to keep it real, they used a legitimate therapist rather than some random actor in this video.

With some comments on the song and its significance, Lavi Jones says:

“Hey there! This song and video are about a time in my life when I was struggling. I want to tell y’all that the bravest thing you can ever do is get help when you need it. My lyrics ‘Whenever up becomes down, I will always be here HOLDING YOUR CROWN,’ are truth.

“We are openly and deeply involved with dismantling youth mental health stigma with our non-profit Hold Your Crown, in partnership with the King County Washington Mental Health Court, NAMI and Pacific Northwest’s SMASH. This video is to show that talking to your peers, seeing a therapist, and crying if you need to are important and healthy reactions to mental health challenges. If you are feeling down, please visit www.holdyourcrown.org for some resources that WILL help you. You matter!”

It’s been quite an eventful period for King Youngblood, which has included a lot of touring, launching their own Afro-Punk science fiction, rock n’ roll flavoured comic book series Afrothunda, more videos, and a lot of cool new unique merchandise. Afrothunda portrays the band as a group of rockstars who also double as superheroes, hailing from Planet Xenon. The 12-issue series debuted at the end of October, and with it came the release of an accompanying five-song soundtrack, with brand new material recorded by the band.

The effort they put into social activism is second to none, with their activism regarding youth mental health nothing new to any long-time support of the group. Hold Your Crown has worked hard to break the stigma surrounding mental illness among young people in and around the band’s native Seattle. Everything the band does has a good intention behind it. There’s no attempt at just “cashing in” for King Youngblood; if they do something, they will make it matter and as relevant as possible to their audience and beyond. They are hard at work on brand new music, and like everything they do, you know it will be special and come straight from the heart.

Artwork for the album ‘Big Thank’ by King Youngblood