DJ Muggs has been doing something special. The legendary producer of Cypress Hill fame has been linking up with various underground (can anything be underground anymore?) rappers to produce full-length projects. Over the last few years, he’s released tapes with Roc Marciano, Al Divino, Eto, Crimeapple, Mach-Hommy, and The God Fahim, to name a few. Muggs has also done this in the past, making albums with vets like GZA, Planet Asia, and Ill Bill.
Now he’s got a tape with NYC’s Rome Streetz called Death & the Magician and they have a short film to accompany it which we here at Complex have the pleasure of premiering. Directed by David Sakolsky, Death & the Magician: The Film has about a 25-minute runtime and it’s a montage of violence and magic, among other themes. Complex also spoke with Muggs and Rome for a brief interview. Check that out below, and be sure to peep the film above, it’s pretty dope. Perfect for dust smokers and psychadelic users, so get dusted and/or let that tab dissolve on your tongue (I know some of y’all are in the crib microdosing) and hit play.
How did you guys link up?
Rome: I met Muggs at a music event in Brooklyn and he showed alotta love for what I was doing. I met him several times after then we chopped it up in the DMs and started sending records back and forth.
Muggs: What Rome said, but then when Rome pulled up to the Soul Assassins compound in L.A., things began to take shape and boom, here we are.
Why did you decide to make a short film?
Rome: Honestly, that was all Muggs’ idea. Once he told me, I was hype about it. He showed me clips and I just told him keep going. I’ve always been a fan of his work like this, so I let him do this thing. I added a few ideas in there also but that’s really Muggs’ brainchild.
Muggs: This album was so dope I wanted people to experance it in its whole as a visual—I think it registers a whole different frequency and expands the energy of the rollout.
Explain some of the sights and sounds included in the film and what you guys wanted to accomplish.
Rome: Most of the clips in the movie are based around the lyrics and the tarot theme of the album, along with current events such as police brutality in the community. All in all, we just wanted to do some fly shit and add layers to the album. It’s not just beats and rhymes, this shit is like an onion.
Muggs: I am big fan of grindhouse so that was the intial inspiration for the presentation. The film is part slash/part video collage built around the lyrics, and a bit of the unknown mixed with part sherm stick—so buckle up.
