PIZZA | ANTILOPEN GANG
Antilopen Gang is a German band composed by three members: rapper Koljah, Panik Panzer, and Danger Dan. Pizza, a song released by the group in 2017, is a work that develops in two narrative strands: the first represented by the lyrics and the second by the music video accompanying the song.
As the title suggests, the central element around which the text’s narrative develops is pizza: in this project, Antilopen Gang tells us about a utopian future in which pizza has become a symbol of peace capable of uniting all peoples. They emphasize that it is a food eaten in every country, brings happiness, and could be used as a solution to various problems (did you know it can even get you out of prison?).
The music video is designed to emphasize the text’s content to the point of making them almost ridiculous, yet achieving a funny and engaging result that leads us to sympathize with the band’s proposed ideology, strengthening it.
In the video, we can see the three artists acting three different characters: a shaman dressed in a white robe and two men in black suits.
The role of the shaman is to bless the pizza and feed it to sick people, healing them. We can see a man in a wheelchair walking again and another blind man regaining sight, we see also their touched families.
The role of the men in black is to promote this new “religion,” showing us the joyful and smiling people who are part of the community, the sacred objects – such as, for example, the wheel that serves to cut the pizza slices – or even haranguing thousands of people to tell them about the magnificent world they want to create.
Everything seems perfect, the future of peace and prosperity seems real and possible, but suddenly the scene changes and a fourth figure appears: a kind of devil dressed in a red suit, accompanied by flaming special effects in the background. With the appearance of the devil, the rhythm of the song becomes faster, almost taking on a metal style, and our three protagonists completely change their personalities: they begin to binge on pizza, toss golden coins in the air – almost certainly the proceeds somehow obtained from the faithful – and revel in the wealth gained.
The conclusion is therefore a bitter ending that shows how, deep down, we remain human, and the higher the ideals we pursue, the more they risk being corrupted and influenced by cynicism.
Antilopen Gang
Pizza, 2017
Music video, 4’08”, video still
© Antilopen Gang
Watch the video: link
Antilopen Gang, Pizza, 2017, Video still
© Antilopen Gang
25/11/2023