California rapper Paris Shadows returns with the music video for “No Choice” — the first single from his upcoming 2019 full-length debut, Shadows. The song, produced by Keith Varon, details Shadows’ past struggles with addiction and depression, and fuses elements of emo, pop-punk and hip-hop in an emotionally sung ballad laid over cavernous trap drums and a guitar riff awash in reverb.
The black-and-white video, directed by Travis Shinn and premiering exclusively on Billboard below, follows Shadows driving in a convertible on an empty highway, setting the tone for a dark and personal confessional.
“Tired of the same thing/ Got no motivation/ Even if I had some I don’t think I would take it,” Shadows sings.
“The song ‘No Choice’ to me was a day on the tail end of ‘lost bad years’ that I struggled with addiction, depression and tremendous self harm,” Shadows tells Billboard of the song. “I was working hard on myself and everything was going great but I still couldn’t find the happiness within myself. No matter how hard I tried I still couldn’t find my true peace. I wasn’t loving myself from within. I thought that nothing matters and I was ultimately doomed to forever be haunted by dissatisfaction. I felt like I had no choice but to be pressed to the point of making a mistake such as ending my life to hopefully find peace. I felt there was no other escape, no other choice.”
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“No Choice” sets the stage for Shadows’ full-length debut, Shadows, which will be released later in 2019.
Check out the video premiere below.