Afro-futurist artist and director Gianni Lee has taken dancehall into the future with a groundbreaking AI-assisted lyric video for Skip Marley’s “Close (Remix),” featuring Ding Dong and Masicka.
Released via Tuff Gong International/Def Jam Recordings, the video debuted today on the Tuff Gong TV YouTube channel, immersing viewers in a post-apocalyptic world where humanoid dance crews, footballers, and bikers rule the streets—all set to a pulsating Caribbean beat.
Lee, known for his work with Jordan Brand, Adidas, and New York City Football Club, described his artistic approach to the visuals.
“For the Skip Marley visual, I used AI in an intentionally artistic way—breaking down live-action footage, screen grabs, and found video to create a mosaic of animated, moving images,” he explained. “The foundation of the video was rooted in real, tangible visuals that I shot or sourced, then processed frame-by-frame through advanced AI prompts to build something new yet deeply connected to the original footage.”
Lee emphasized that the process was not about following trends but about carefully selecting each shot and maintaining a strong visual concept.
“I storyboarded the treatment like I would any traditional film, but instead of stopping at raw footage, I layered it with artistic manipulation. The goal was to keep the viewer visually stimulated while also creating something cohesive that spoke to the emotion of the music,” he added.
A pioneer of Afro-futurist storytelling, Lee continues to explore Black identity through a futuristic lens, blending bold, post-apocalyptic imagery with cultural narratives. With the “Close” remix, he sought to push artistic boundaries while staying grounded in intention.
“This project was about pushing what’s possible with new tools while staying grounded in narrative and intention. I treated AI not just as a generator, but as a collaborator—one that responds to vision, direction, and detail. The final result feels more like a moving painting than a conventional video, and I think it reflects the soul and power behind the track,” he said.
The “Close (Remix)” lyric video is now available on the Tuff Gong TV YouTube channel.
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