Slava P loves Riff Raff.
Riff Raff loves Canada. There are plenty of reasons why that might be the case: as a Texas native, the snow might be exotic to him; our strict gun laws make him feel safe; our money better color coordinates with his outfits. Whatever Raff’s influence, he decided to celebrate his love for the Great White North by releasing a song and video for “Air Canada” in which he tries his hardest to name as many major cities as he can remember. In spite of the fact that the hook is half-baked and the visuals are a level or two below what we’re used to from him, the song serves as a testament to why Riff Raff is the people’s choice. The man butchers the pronunciation of a word as simple as “Nova”, but does it with such flare and pizazz that it makes a lifelong Canadian want to rethink the way they refer to the east coast going forward.
So what if a majority of his Canadian references have to do with ice and/or the fact that it’s cold? So what if the video was shot in front of what appears to be a suburban bungalow in what appears to be the coolest cul-de-sac ever? None of that matters, because he shouted out Tim Hortons, a move that guarantees him a Canadian Hood Pass for life (those are the stickers that you attach to your zipper)! Let the man drive through Toronto in his Tropicana benz with his Grizzly Adam rims!
No one can tell you why Riff Raff does anything, but if my personal experience and the shots used in this music video are any indication, he’s loved by Canadians. ‘Air Canada’ is likely a thank you masked as a grab for fans masked as an introduction to a random rapper that probably got charged too much money to appear in this video*. Regardless, I can’t help but feel a tinge of patriotism watching this.
* Seriously, appearing in a Riff Raff video is not a good look for any up-and-coming artist not named Riff Raff. Especially if you’re going to be an unidentified rapper in a music video celebrating Canada. I honestly thought it was Maestro Fresh Wes until he started spitting about Saskatoon.
