This is Video of the Week from Wales Arts Review. We’ll be showcasing some of the best art in Wales with a new video shared every week. From music to drama and everything in between, videos will not be limited by medium. This week we’re looking at ‘Welcome to Wales’, the latest music video from Welsh rapper, Mace the Great, featuring Sage Todz.
This week’s Video of the Week is a new collaboration from Welsh MC Mace the Great and bilingual rapper, Sage Todz. ‘Welcome To Wales’ references the fall-out from when Sage Todz announced that he would be pulling out of this year’s National Eisteddfod due to the event’s strict Welsh language policy and addresses the racist comments he was subjected to on social media following that decision.
The song also tackles a separate incident from earlier in the year when S4C was forced to apologies for using a photo of Mace the Great was used on Prynhawn Da, instead of Sage Todz. It’s a powerful statement on a culture and industry which still has so many double standards to address.
The video is set in front of the BBC Broadcasting House building in Cardiff city centre, setting the lyrics against the backdrop of one of the largest media and broadcasting hubs in Wales. Each artist takes turns to verbally spar above a looping beat as the pair vocalise the marginalisation of minority voices and the prejudice both men have experienced. The video is a collaboration of North and South and a bold representation of the burgeoning hip hop talent in Wales right now.
‘Welcome to Wales’ is available to stream now. You can find out more about Mace the Great’s latest releases through his social media platforms.