Sonicsgate and Blue Scholars teamed up to create an amazing short film based on "Slick Watts," off the album Cinemetropolis. Instead of creating a standard music video, the two groups combined to create an excellent piece that features nostalgia, humor and applicable commentary on the state of basketball in Seattle. It features Slick Watts, Donald Watts, Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelley, superfan Big Lo and many others. And it ends with the group sitting around a poker table reflecting on some of the finer moments of Sonics' history.
The video premiered on Wednesday night during halftime of the NBA playoff matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks. Take the seven minutes to watch it. It's a well-done film and completely worth the time.
When I spoke with Jason Reid following the Sonicsgate trip to Denver, we discussed the "Slick Watts" video and some of the difficulties involved in making it. The scene at the beginning was completely true: The plan was to shoot with the 1979 championship trophy, but the request was denied.
"We actually tried to shoot a scene in front of the 1979 NBA Championship trophy. They said we couldn't approve it and we had to talk to someone from the OKC," Reid said. "They turned us down for shooting a video for our trophy, and Blue Scholars. The reason was it wasn't befitting of the trophy."
As you can see from the video, it's not necessarily a rap video and is more a commentary on basketball in Seattle and the memories it left behind. Instead, it seems more likely the owners of the trophy didn't want those pesky Sonicsgate guys shooting in front of the trophy and using it in a video about getting an NBA team back in Seattle. But I digress.
All told, Sonicsgate put together an excellent video and Blue Scholars created great music, as always. Cinemetropolis drops on June 11 and you can find more at Amazon. You can find more on Sonicsgate at their website.