You say no to ratchet cheerleaders, Hanni El Khatib can’t. If Miley Cyrus can twerk, Hanni El Khatib has full license, nay endorsement, to wrangle a squad of video vixens. The director Simon Cahn said he wanted to go for the “opposite of rock and roll imagery.” I don’t know if I agree. The obverse of rock and roll imagery is probably Jim DeRogatis sitting on a park bench eating Cheetos and sipping Fanta. But the video for “Pay No Mind” could be the most rewatchable rock video I’ve seen this year, aided in part by girls who look like they came from a Juicy J video — or at least previously served as stunt doubles for Sherane.
This comes from Head in the Dirt, Khatib’s album produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. No frills knife fight music. You may think there is irony in this video, but having interviewed Hanni a half dozen times there is none. If this video doesn’t get him embraced by the hip-hop community, then Melissa Ford doesn’t drive a Honda Accord.
