[WATCH]: Saba releases short film, ‘Few Good Things’
Following the release of his long-awaited and critically acclaimed third studio album Few Good Things streaming now on all platforms, Chicago rapper-producer Saba premieres the album’s accompanying visual Few Good Things: The Short Film on Feb. 9.
Presented by Saba and Pivot Gang, and produced by Partizan in association with SoundCloud and Pogi Studios, the poignant and touching film is directed and written by award-winning filmmaker C.T. Robert. The film explores the roots of Saba’s desire for exterior fulfillment and his recognition of the fulfillment he’s already felt by simply living a life that was meant for him with those he’s loved. Using Few Good Things as the sonic backdrop, the film weaves together a few selected tracks from the album with the collage of sounds one might expect to hear making their way through Saba’s hometown in the West Side of Chicago. The filmmakers wish to extend their personal thanks to Tommy Jeans and Therapy Studios for their contributions to the making of this film.
“The concept of ‘Few Good Things’ is the realization of self after a search for exterior fulfillment,” shares Saba. “It is the satisfaction and completeness you gain by simply living a life that is yours. Few is a small number, but few is not lonely. In the face of all adversity, a few good things is recognizing and accepting blessings. Few is to count them, one by one – an empty glass is full of air, an empty bank is full of lessons., and an empty heart is full of memories. Few good things is to grow comfortable with the empty, and despite that, finding your fullness.”
Film director C.T. Robert adds, “As a storyteller, I’ve always been drawn to stories that attempt to identify what makes us who we are. The ones that ask questions like: ‘What does having everything you need really look like?’ ‘Is it sitting at a dinner table with your loved ones?’ ‘Is it waking up next to the woman you love?’ ‘Is it having cherished memories for all of those you care for, those still in the physical and those who passed on?’”
Robert continues, “It’s hard to pinpoint the exact answers to all these but we know that it’s nothing that can be achieved from monetary fulfillment or anything materialistic. It’s a weight that can only be carried with you through years of experiences and memories made from putting the time in with those around you. No amount of money could ever replace that. In this film we want to refocus the conversation surrounding these ideas and help shed light on what’s really important in the grand scheme of it all.”
About Saba
A successful Black independent artist, Saba has rooted his career in authenticity and musicality that’s made him one of his generation’s most important and unique voices. The Chicago polymath recently released his third studio album Few Good Things, the highly anticipated follow-up to his acclaimed 2018 album CARE FOR ME, for which he earned honors as one of the Chicago Tribune’s ‘Chicagoans of the Year’ and has performed 100+ shows worldwide.
Saba began making music at age 8 and was writing and producing songs by early adolescence. Building a recording studio in his grandmother’s basement on the Westside of Chicago, he and a group of neighborhood friends formed Pivot Gang and began taking trains across the city to join creative youth organizations and perform at open mics. Coming from a deeply musical family, Saba was influenced by his father, a Chicago R&B artist named Chandlar, at a young age who would bring him to the studio with him to record sounds of soul, R&B and jazz. These experiences sharpened his writing and performance skills, and he has continued to build home studios where he is self-taught on a variety of musical instruments.
In 2019, J. Cole tapped Saba for his Revenge of the Dreamers III project, where they featured together on the powerful closer “Sacrifices” – the track recently attaining RIAA certified Gold status. He also teamed up with frequent collaborators Noname and Smino to form the Midwest music collective Ghetto Sage and earlier this year he performed his collaboration with Audrey Nuna “Top Again” on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
With the release of his new album Few Good Things, Saba is prepared to continue pushing musical boundaries on his climb to rap’s upper echelon. Stream Few Good Things HERE available to stream on all digital platforms now via The Orchard.
As an independent artist with a loyal and growing fan base on SoundCloud, Saba made his new album, Few Good Things, available on SoundCloud through Fan-Powered Royalties, strengthening the connection with his fans and enabling them to support him directly on the platform.
