Video: Kehlani - 'Gangsta'
Kehlani transforms into supervillain Harley Quinn in the Benny Boom-directed video for “Gangsta” off the Suicide Squad soundtrack.
The song’s dark production and Lani’s haunting vocals are matched with a similarly brooding visual, one that has the Bay Area songstress in full Harley attire, “Good Night” bat and all.
Surrounded by broken glass, Kehlani offers the song’s yearning chorus: “I need a gangsta to love me better than all the others do.”
Earlier this month, Suicide Squad’s director David Ayer commended Kehlani’s work on the track. “Steven Price did the score on this and he’s incredibly gifted,” said Ayer. “He heard [‘Gangsta’] and felt he could do more with it and really orchestrate it and it just blends into the fabric of the film. It speaks a lot to relationships, making a choice, and at the same time how there’s also power in surrendering to somebody.”
Suicide Squad: The Album was released on Friday along with the blockbuster film, which features Margot Robbie in the Harley Quinn role. During its opening weekend, the movie grossed $135 million in the U.S., becoming the biggest August opening ever.
Kehlani is also gearing up to release her debut album SSS, which has already spawned the singles “CRZY” and “Distraction.”