Two of the West Coast’s sharpest pens have linked up as Ras Kass drops the official music video for “Latency,” featuring Ab-Soul. The track is a philosophical spiral sitting somewhere between consciousness, perception, and the unknown — exactly the kind of lane both MCs have built careers in, challenging listeners to look past the surface. Ras Kass brings his usual density and intellectual weight, Ab-Soul counters with his own introspective, existential style, and singer/songwriter Dina Rae floats a hypnotic hook over the top that gives the whole thing an otherworldly feel. Directed, filmed, and edited by Gifted Glitch, the visual moves through three very different environments — LACMA, an undisclosed LA spot built around a pyramid structure, and Las Vegas — and each one feeds into the song’s dreamlike quality instead of just illustrating the lyrics. It plays more like a meeting of minds than a standard feature, a nice snapshot of where West Coast lyricism has been and where it’s headed. “Latency” lives on Leopard Eats Face, Ras Kass’ first album in five years, which also packs guest verses from Inspectah Deck, Coast Contra, Onyx, and more.
