The Narcicyst’s Epic Music Film Rise
A Visual Journey into Gulf Futurism
What is the Medium? That was one of the first questions I asked after watching Yassin “The Narcicyst” Alsalman’s musical short film Rise directed by Ali F. Mostafa. In the tradition of Michael Jackson style music films of a different era, Rise is a continuation of the Narcicyst’s recently released album World War Free Now. The Medium, whose symbol we see throughout the film is the artist crew that the Narcaciyst is at the center of, many of whose members are featured throughout the film, including El Seed and Sundus Abdul Hadi.
In many ways, Rise is the logical next step for Alsalman who previously produced the groundbreaking and the visually stunning videos “Hamdulillah,” PHATWA, and “Fly Over Egypt.” Rise as a piece of art and social commentary could be read a number of different ways as it is heavy in symbolism which, Alsalman states about the film
“RISE serves as an introduction to the visual world of World War Free Now. At a time where I felt lost, confused, and disillusioned with the ‘industry’, I wanted to make a film about my heart and about how creativity is the key to happiness. Remember when we were kids and nothing seems impossible? This is what that made me create. This is my ode to MJ and Moonwalker.”
The film features two songs from World War Free Now, including the lyrical tracks “Rise,” which plays over the credits, and “SchoolYard.” Narcy goes more in depth into the meaning of the film in the three making-of docs released with the film.
As a whole, you can see Rise as a critique of and the madness of living a strictly material life where wealth and success in no way measure health, well-being and a balanced existence on this earth. We see The Narcicyst’s alter future ego going to work at the car-free green Masdar city in Abu Dhabi, but in what seems in an altered mental state he sees riots on TV and looks out his skyscraper apartment window to see the skyline burning in Dubai.
Welcome to the desert of the unreal spiritually, as best theorized by Fatima al-Qadiri and Sophia al-Maria as gulf futurism, which is
“the isolation of individuals via technology, wealth and reactionary Islam, the corrosive elements of consumerism on the soul and industry on the earth, the erasure of history from our memories and our surroundings and finally, our dizzying collective arrival in a future no one was ready for.”
We see this played out in the Narcicyst’s character as he stares at the mirror and his head is missing, as his isolation, disillusionment, and ambiguous relationship to his own existence has led to a meaningless life even when driving his $200,000 dollar cars. The frantic end to the film as Narcy’s spiritual self-grows into a giant who literally smashes his characters obsession with consumer culture is in no way subtle.
The release of Rise along with World War Free Now along with his new Arabic language album under the name Nargisee show the depth and range of the Narcicyst’s vision. The film and the albums are highly recommended.
Check out one of our favorite tracks from World War Free Now, “Free” produced by Sandhill.
