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Flaunt Premiere | David Sabastian Unveils “Revolutionary” Visual

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Photo by Baz ![Photo by Baz](https://assets-global.website-files.com/62ee0bbe0c783a903ecc0ddb/6472d25c188b3f627c1aac34_Photo%2BCredit%2B-%2BFabienne%2BLimage.jpeg) Photo by Baz [David Sabastian](https://www.instagram.com/davidsabastiananti/?hl=en) is an anomaly in the entertainment industry, in the best way possible. The activist, teacher, disrupter, artist, and superhero is one-of-one, a multi-hyphenate who’s murals can be seen from Los Angeles to New York, even one or two in Paris. Creatively when it comes to music, fashion, design, film, and art, David has no bounds or limits—and plus, he knows how to fly. In addition to his wavering passion for music, David has his own brand called Skid Row Fashion Week, which was conceptualized to be high-end streetwear. Their purpose and mission is to liberate the minds of people living on Skid Row and provide housing and mental rehabilitation, teaching them things such as how to manufacture clothes. David’s custom pieces have been sported by everyone from Billie Eilish to A$AP Rocky to Alicia Keys, and he shows no plans of slowing down anytime soon. Now, he shares the highly-anticipated music video for his new single titled “Revolutionary,” premiered today exclusively on _Flaunt_. Directed and edited by David himself, the captivating visual sees David surrounded by real-life angels watching over him—a testament to a normal day in the life. _Flaunt_ caught up with the Warner Records signee via FaceTime, who was excited as ever to be explaining the concept behind “Revolutionary,” the cinematic visual, his come up, his brand Skid Row Fashion Week, his forthcoming project, and more! **What were you going through recording “Revolutionary”?** To be honest with you, we had a studio session at Paramount. I normally record anywhere from 5 to 7 songs anytime I get in the studio. I’m really, really fast at recording. This producer named Jesse Boykins, who I’ve never met before but my guy Matt brought to the studio, he said “do you want to make something?” I said yeah, let’s make something from scratch. He played some keys and something came to my mind: bom bom bom. \[hums melody\] I laid that and for me, instruments speak to me. Music speaks to you. I always ask the universe, “God, what do I need to say on this?” At this time, I just got my deal done. I’m helping my family, I’m helping the community. I feel like a revolutionary ass n\*gga so it just came to me. I felt like Malcolm X in the booth, I felt great. I freestyle the whole record, that’s one take down.  **Why are you “Revolutionary”?** I’m revolutionary in my mindset. I don’t think outside the box, there is no box. My main goal is to shift the paradigm of the planet. Everything I do is to inspire people to break out of the shackles that we’ve been bred into. I’ve taken a lot of stances throughout my career that went against the grain. One was doing the Gucci Bonfire. When Gucci, Burberry, everyone was doing all these crazy racist pieces, I brought the city out. About a thousand people came, everyone brought their Gucci and we literally had a huge fucking bonfire in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. Even my work I do for the homeless, the forgotten. There’s people a block up who live in million dollar penthouses but can walk over homeless people every day as if they’re not there.  Being revolutionary is being able to go outside your comfort zone and stand for something, and I stand for a lot. I’m a revolutionary from my mind, for the work I do in the community, for the things I do for my family and my friends, and for the messages I unapologetically say in my music. I say a lot of codes. I say a lot of shit that a lot of people won’t say out of fear that they’ll be blackballed. Whatever, I don’t care. I know my mission and I’m sticking to it.  **What were you trying to convey in the visual? What do the men with the wings represent?** If you look at pre-Renaissance or even post-Renaissance, they’ve always showcased angels as little white babies. If there is a heaven, I’m pretty sure everyone in it isn’t white. I’m doing a collection for Skid Row called Not All Heroes Wear Capes, Not All Angels Are White. I wanted to first showcase beautiful black men in a light that’s angelic, because we’ve never really seen that in that way. Also, I feel like I’m highly protected. Everywhere I go, I have a multitude of angels around me that protect me. I’ve been in a couple life or death situations where I really could’ve died. Each time, be it serendipity, be it destiny, be it faith, I’ve always slipped out of it through angels. Real-life angels.  One time I was at this party in the Hollywood Hills and some people were trying to rob me, they had guns. I end up sneaking out the house through the kitchen, ran out the house, and hid behind a fucking car. A Nissan Altima. I heard the people say “where’d he go?” I’m praying “God, let me get out of this shit.” I’ll never forget, the house got raided. You know how cops break up parties? A police officer lady came and she seen me behind the car. She’s like, “what are you doing?” She’s like, “come this way, come this way!” I end up walking down the street and some Uber driver named David ironically pulled up and said “yo, what’re you doing in the street?” I’m like “man, these n\*ggas are after me.” He said “would you like a ride home on me?” Cool. I got angels protecting me.  **Where was the video shot?**  Los Angeles. I storyboarded the whole thing on napkins. The beach shot, we got kicked out of 2 beaches. Another angel, we’re driving down the street and pulled up on some beach. Some old rich dude who’s walking his poodle said “yeah, this is my house!” I asked “can we shoot?” He said “yeah.” He doesn’t mind so we end up stealing a bunch of those shots in some random crib in Malibu.  **How was it directing and editing it yourself?** It’s nothing new. Since the beginning of my career, from 17 years old I had to learn how to do everything. To be as hands-on as possible. It started when I was designing, but I needed someone to do Illustrator etc. My mom, we grew up in a middle class, but low class. My mom’s a working class woman, she took out her savings to take me to go to get Illustrator classes. We’re on our way to pay this Illustrator teacher to teach me and I told her to turn back around. She’s like “what?” I said “put the money back in your account, I’m gonna teach myself.”  I taught myself Illustrator. I remember shooting my first video and needed someone to edit it. They’re lagging, taking their sweet ass time. I was about to miss a deadline. I had to teach myself how to edit. Directors be trying to overcharge. I can storyboard shit. I can watch a bunch of Quentin Tarantino films and \[Stanley\] Kubrick films, study cinematography. I’m not saying I haven’t had help, I’ve had some amazing collaborators. But for the most part, the reason why I’m so hands-on is because I had to be at a certain point in time. **You have a line that says “Satan is fictional,” can you expand on this?** I have a song on my album called “The Devil is a Metaphor.” One of the lines is “the devil is your fears, and your mindset is hell.” One of my favorite books is Napoleon Hills _Outwitting the Devil._ The basic premise is the only thing that really exists on this planet or in this realm, is love, and everything else is an illusion. Fear is an illusion. Fear, hatred, all these things are things we created that had some type of duality. In reality, everything is love and divine.  The devil has been fictionalized to be this red guy with horns. You go to this fiery place when you die, but a lot of us live in hell everyday because we’re afraid to pursue our dreams. We’re afraid to do something against our parents’ will. There’s so many people living in hell due to fear. When I say “Satan is fictional,” the idea or concept of this red man who if you’re gay or if you do whatever, you’re going to hell like Christianity or most religions teach you. Fear is the closest thing to what the devil would be.  **You say you remember when you had no money, what was David like then?** Resourceful. For instance, we shot 8 music videos. We spent money, definitely one third of the money anybody else would’ve spent. A lot of these big productions overspend. David back then could’ve pulled it off, but he would've utilized every favor, every person in his phonebook, superglued the J’s. Instead of Ugo Mozie pulling the fire shit, I would’ve been full rhinestoning and gluing shit. I’m the same person.  I was with my friend Jermaine the other day, he picked me up from the shoot. I’ve known him since I was 11. We went to jail together when we’re young. He told me, “you’re the same dude man, you didn’t change at all.” I’ve never seen a green dollar or a green piece of paper changing the fabric of who I am. I have the same belief systems, there’s not much different. I can buy whatever I want now. The biggest thing is when I go eat food, I don’t look at the price anymore. That’s a big thing because I love eating. I love gourmet food. When I used to eat, I’d be like “uhhh.” Now I want it and I get it.  **Your brand is called Skid Row Fashion Week, can we expect an actual Fashion Week in Skid Row?** This year, we’re going to do that. We’re going to block off all of 5th Street. We’re taking people who live on Skid Row, give them the full makeover vibes and really replicate Fashion Week on Skid Row. The collection I’m designing, I’m making clothes out of sustainable stuff that are on Skid Row like bomber jackets out of soda cans, plastic bags, all types of shit. It’s going to be really cool. You have Paris Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, it’s so glamorized. I thought the juxtaposition between that and Skid Row Fashion Week, taking something that's so gritty but yet so beautiful would be nice.  **Highlight from working with Drake?** The money was good. I spent that check on something really nice. **What did you spend it on?** Myself. \[laughs\] Matte Babel’s a really, really good friend of mine, is on my management team and on Drake’s management team. He found me at a weird time in my career. I was living in my office, a 10 by 10 office. I was damn near homeless, he knew I had a lot of talent and potential. He would throw me every opportunity he could. He’d say “yo D, you want to design this Euphoria merch pack?” Or “do you want to design this tour merch for Drake?” I’d take it because money is money. His team, everyone’s so gracious. I’m definitely appreciative of that opportunity. Doing the plane shit was fun, it was cool. **What can we expect from your forthcoming project?**  Awesomeness. Divinity. You can expect every experience, everything I’ve learned up until this point compacted into this audible experience of love, understanding, and self-reflection. _We Are God,_ the title is a philosophy that I live by because there’s no difference between me, you, him, her, the guy on the street. I believe we’re part of one hive mind, one universal WiFi that our human brains call God or the universe. How I see you is how I see myself. There’s a song on the album called “Believe In Yourself.” It says “don’t listen to no one else, you gotta believe in yourself.” Certain philosophies, the devil is a metaphor. Records like “The Light.” These are all philosophies and words to live by.  When I prematurely dropped it last year and I sold it exclusively to my fans, people had hit me up and said “yo, this album changed my life. It changed the way I looked at shit. It changed my daily mantras. It taught me about spiritual things I never ever knew about.” I listen to a lot of audiobooks. I’ve listened to a lot of Napoleon Hill, Nevell Goddard. What‘s a way to take these philosophies and ideas, put it in a way where I can consume it while I’m in the car with the homies? Or consume it while I’m in the shower? It’s everything I’ve ever learned over dope ass beats.