Premiere: Ric Wilson & Terrace Martin's "Beyond Me" Video Is An Existential Trip

Back in May, Chicago rapper and activist Ric Wilson and Terrace Martin released a joint EP titled They Call Me Disco. The six-song collection of jubilant, disco funk — courtesy of the prolific Martin, a super-producer who worked with Kendrick Lamar on To Pimp A Butterfly — is a vibrant celebration of summertime block parties and falling in love in the city. The last track on the album, "Beyond Me," featuring fellow Chicago musician Kiéla Adira, is the project's short standout as it takes an inward turn into Wilson's brain, musing about everything from global warming to going to Chick-Fil-A with a mask on. "Everything is beyond me, is beyond me" Wilson chants at the end, over Martin's soothing, clipping production.

On Tuesday, NYLON shares the video for "Beyond Me," a short, trippy cut directed by Jordan Hendricks. Featuring Wilson laying down in his room as it warps and spins around him, the video feels like the brief existential moments one experiences when the party is over — quiet and meditative.

"I wrote this song this past November in the studio with Terrace," Wilson writes via email. "I was thinking about how our life in the grand scheme of Earth's longevity is short and how stressing over these social constructs in our short minimal time here shortens our life. Everything's easier when we see the humanity in everyone, all its beauties and its imperfections. This song was inspired by Rotary Connection, Thom Yorke, and Jay Electronica.”