Music
28 Feb 23

Jafaris questions online relevancy with horror short film 'SYS'

Jafaris in 'SYS'. Directed by Ignas Laugalis.

Dublin hip-hop sensation Jafaris is back at his best on the short clip, which focuses on the need for validation through social media likes, followers and stats in a troubled industry.

Dublin artist Jafaris has returned with a surreal short film 'SYS (Sell Your Soul)' today, directed by the uber-talented Ignas Laugalis.

The surreal film from Percy Chamburuka (aka Jafaris) depicts “the psychological journey of an up-and-coming artist as he moves through the various stages of his career – revealing fantasies of fame, glamour and success.”

It shows the Strive rapper bouncing through rooms in a house with contemporary dance moves up his sleeve, to a blood-and-guts horror scene with his own self crawling towards him on the ground, dying, before a showman version of himself in an IGOR-like Tyler the Creator wig finishes the clip.

Blending various formats of music video and horror films together with dance and experimental short media, the Jordan Peele-esque 'Sell Your Soul' “explores the moral implications of achieving artistic success in a world dominated by social media and the pressure of the attention economy.”

'Sell Your Soul' shines a light on Gen Z’s desire for relevancy and the impact the quest for fame and recognition. The clip opens with ‘Every N**ger Is a Star‘ from Jamaican musician Boris Gardiner, which was sampled on Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Wesley Theory’ on his groundbreaking album To Pimp A Butterfly.

“I myself started to feel a sense of un-contentment, ego boost and an infatuation with praise and admiration. I can imagine the more you desire for those things that feed your ego the more you search for how to maintain them, which I believe will lead most people into a place of losing their purest self entirely, simply because the limelight is so addictive,” Jafaris.

The actor and musician returned in 2020 to release a visual six-track EP, titled I Love You But I'm In A Bad...Mood. He recently cameo'd on Sweetlemondae's infectious single 'Higher State'.

Watch the short film 'SYS' below. Revisit our 2020 interview with Jafaris here.

Full credits below.

Featuring: Percy Chamburuka
Body Double: PIUS
Director: Ignas Laugalis
Producer: Zoë Brennan-Whitmore
DOP: Luke Jacobs
Focus: Puller Daniel Meade
Steadicam: Tim Hood
Gaffer: Eoghan Hand
Best Boy: Ruairi O hOisin
Production Designer: Stevie Kingston
Art Director: James Donnelly
Costume: Andrea Williams
Makeup artist: Tobi Bello
Choreographers: Tobi Balogun & Favour
Editor: Ignas Laugalis
Grade Naveen: PA
Sound Design: Tom Joyce @ Sound Canvas
Title Designer: James Doyle
Title Animation: Elliot Ruddy
Music: ‘Every Ni**er Is a Star’ by Boris Gardiner
Special Thanks: Tigran Chakhoian and Burschi Wojnar