Some of you may have gotten the chance to witness Rich Kidd crush it at this week’s SXSW alongside producer Young Guru. Or maybe you remember him stealing the show during Just Blaze’s set at the Boiler Room. Most likely, you’ve seen the video of him being crowned winner of the SXSW Champion Sound instrumental battle. No matter where you heard his name first, it goes without saying that Rich‘s buzz level is sky-high right now. Many are branding him as the next big hip-hop talent to blow up from Toronto, and it’s easy to see why. As an MC he’s been catching new fans at every turn. As a producer, he’s already worked with Raekwon, Busta Rhymes, DMX, and Talib Kweli, just to name a few. His press coverage has been growing, especially in the past year with Kiddstrumentals 2 and his solo mixtape In My Opinion, with this video being the last one to drop from this project.

With all the momentum surrounding Rich, his newest video “The Valley” is a landmark for him that paints a chilling image and challenges the standards of a hip-hop video with its cinematic undertone. Regarding the concept behind the video, director RT! said the following:

“With ‘The Valley’ visual I really wanted to make a video that kept throwing curveballs as you continue to watch it. Everyone knows about late-night missions after the club, so I took that simple relatable idea and flipped it into something dark, Kubrickian and unexpected. Hip-hop videos have a stigma of being predictable to the point of parody so we fucked with peoples expectations, while indulging some of those elements (who doesn’t love lingerie parties?) Rich is that new type of artist outta Canada that makes that real hip hop but ain’t afraid to try different concepts both visually and musically. When I heard the drums on this and the valley chanting I knew it had to be something twisted.

Check out the video below and be on the look out for more from this promising young rapper.

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