From the school of Beyoncé, Ciara, and even Mýa comes this year’s valedictorian, Victoria Monét, as proven with the highly-anticipated video for her hit single, “On My Mama.”
The visual is laced in nostalgia with a southern flare as the singer-songwriter pays homage to HBCU culture, the Divine Nine Black sororities and fraternities, street style with her Girbaud jeans and oversized white tees, meme culture, and the best of the early 2000s.
Directed by Child and choreographed by the acclaimed Sean Bankhead, the enthralling music video serves as a reminder of the pivotal era when underground southern music began catching international attention.
Chalie Boy, the rapper behind the sampled track “I Look Good,” makes a cameo in the music video, along with Monét’s daughter, Hazel, and of course, her mother known affectionately as “Mommy Monét.”
Fans have drawn visual comparisons to Ciara’s “Oh,” Destiny’s Child’s “Soldier,” and several iconic memes. For Bankhead, he expressed, “this going in my top 5 i’ve ever done.”
The direction of the visual was first teased prior to the single’s release with the help of Druski.
The song itself is considered to be “the soundtrack to positive affirmations.”
Monét shared, “I wrote it postpartum when I wasn’t feeling my best, but spoke to how I wanted to feel. Singing the lyrics about yourself will change your frequency, and elevate a positive mental state. The words speak not only to physical features, but to a feeling too because I believe when you feel good you look even better! Give yourself the words you need to hear because it’s true, you look good! There’s no one like you and that’s on ya mama. Enjoy being yourself witcha fine a**!”
Following its debut, the song of the summer hit over eight million streams and is the final single before the arrival of her debut album, JAGUAR II, dropping on Aug. 25.