To be hailed as the Basquiat of anything is a massive honour; but that’s exactly what the New York Times did when they described Storyboard P as “The Basquiat of street dancing“, back in 2022. An artist who has risen like a phoenix from a turbulent upbringing in New York, Storyboard P has built his reputation based on his dancing, which he describes as “mutation”, a blend of street dance, mime, animation, illusion, and improvisation, taking inspiration from stop-motion animation.
This has seen him collaborate with the likes of Erykah Badu, who took him under her wing, when he was severely ill during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Usher, and most recently, Drake’s music videos for ‘High Fives’, and ‘Little Birdie’. Additionally he’s received well-earned recognition from the likes of MTV, and Harvard. All this however has never superseded Storyboard P’s conviction that he is much more than a dancer, that an artist can never be confined to just one discipline, and so he has embarked on a new mission, to be seen as not only a dancer, but also a writer, a musician, and a designer. With the first instalment of Storyboard P’s massive 4-disc studio album already released, his new single and music video, ‘I Be A Fool’ is set to reintroduce him with his soulful and honeyed tones.
Just over 2 minutes long, ‘I Be A Fool’ came together in superfast time, with Storyboard writing and laying everything down in just half an hour, his evocative lyrics weaving hazy, cosmic vignettes set to a soulful guitar and drum melody. His voice flits between singing and rapping, narrating a story of wanting to get into someone’s mind and heart, with no barriers between them. There’s a vulnerability not seen in many songs, as he nonchalantly says, “We don’t have to get undressed / We can talk about our youth”.
The footage for the music video for ‘I Be A Fool’ was originally shot back in 2010, in a Newark warehouse, and was originally attached to a different song. Now. re-edited, it matches the rawness of ‘I Be A Fool’, and we are in awe as Storyboard P slides and glides his way around the space, effortlessly, ethereally, almost super-humanly. The clip ends with him reaching for the stars, a suitable metaphor for someone who has long been among them, and shall continue to soar past them.
Watch the spellbinding music video for ‘I Be A Fool’ below, and follow Storyboard P on Instagram.
