Synopsis

The video for "New Testament" unfolds as a surreal sequence of stylized tableaux rather than a conventional performance piece. Dialect and Despair appear within a series of carefully arranged scenes populated by costumed figures, ritualistic gestures, and changing visual settings. The imagery links old traditions with contemporary hip-hop culture, creating a deliberately open-ended meditation on inheritance, transformation, and artistic renewal. Total Eclipse contributes to the track, while the performers and visual symbols move through a world that feels part ceremony, part dream.

Factoids & Trivia

• "New Testament" was the lead single from Dialect and Despair's second album, "Self Evident," and its first music video.

• Dialect described the concept as a visual contrast between traditions and the way their meaning changes when placed in a different time or context. The filmmakers intentionally left the symbolism open to interpretation.

• The video was filmed in New York and includes an appearance by Lord Finesse, whom Dialect and Despair had previously supported at live shows.

• Total Eclipse of the X-Ecutioners is featured on the track, extending the duo's connection with the New York hip-hop community.

• The production was shot on an Arri Alexa at 100 frames per second, giving the scenes a pronounced slow-motion quality.

• The cast includes Crystal Malinarich, Ksenia Karataeva, Michael Coumi, Nobuyuki Fukuda, Jess Davis, Stella Badenoch, Kathryn Barnett, Mitch Creek, and Trish Storer.

• The video was produced through a collaboration between Studio Sunkie and Young Black Youth, with production design, makeup, hair, and visual effects helping establish its theatrical atmosphere.