On the heels of his new “Show You” video with AmirSaysNothing, we catch up with LA rapper deSerko to discuss how he’s expanded his horizons as an artist and how he’s kept up with his soccer fandom during the pandemic.
A familiar face, deSerko, recently dropped a new video for “Show You” with AmirSaysNothing. A cut off of the Los Angeles-based duo’s Five O’Clock Anywhere EP from last year, they shared the sunny visual with the intention of bringing something positive to 2020.
deSerko (also known as Serk), went to New York this spring to link with his writing partner as he explores his new passion for writing movies. The day he got there was the day that the city shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. The two-week trip turned into an eight-month stay.
AmirSaysNothing came to the Big Apple to visit his family and deSerko was excited to have a friend and a reminder of home.
“It was great to see Amir, a familiar face, while I was in New York,” deSerko says to Urban Pitch. “We had some fun and we wanted [the video] to be colorful so it was different from everything dark and gloomy that’s been going on. There’s also something very pure about shooting a rap video in New York.”
“Naturally, we were like, ‘Let’s get a video together,'” Amir says, sharing that they did the shoot right before he caught a plane back to California. “The experience embodies what making music together is like. It’s fun, it’s light. We’re like, ‘Let’s just have a good time.’ But [we’re] somehow always very professional and that’s just us. The most laid back professional artists you’ll ever meet.”
As #quarantine2020 has given artists the opportunity to focus on their craft — or, as in the case of the Warm Brew member, explore new passions — deSerko was intrigued to watch how sports adjusted to the pandemic.
Bundesliga was one of the first sports leagues to resume play after everything shut down, and in America, the first two leagues to start back up were the NWSL and MLS. Sports fans who maybe never paid attention to soccer before turned on a match because there was nothing else to watch.
“I had friends calling me asking about so-and-so and I’d be like, ‘Yeah, he’s a good player,’ or whatever,” deSerko says.
He was impressed by the pure passion that the players continued to show for the beautiful game even without fans in the stands. He also continues to be excited by the success of young American players, including Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic (his favorite), Barcelona’s Sergiño Dest, and Bundesliga rising stars Josh Sargent and Gio Reyna, whose father deSerko enjoyed watching as well. Juventus’ Weston McKennie is someone deSerko views as an especially important player because of his organic come-up as a kid from Texas and his boldness for speaking out against social injustices.
To be able to use my platform to bring attention to a problem that has been going on to long feels good!!! We have to stand up for what we believe in and I believe that it is time that we are heard! #justiceforgeorgefloyd #saynotoracism pic.twitter.com/TRB1AGm0Qx
— Weston McKennie (@WMckennie) May 30, 2020
deSerko is now back on the West Coast. After building his resume as a hidden gem in the Los Angeles rap scene, he’s using his new lane in movies to hold onto his promise to himself that he wouldn’t be a rapper after age 30. But the “Show You” video is something we can all take the pressure off and enjoy.
Be sure to follow deSerko on Instagram and Twitter, and stream his catalogue on Apple Music, Spotify, and TIDAL.
