An echo chamber dialogue

Observations log 005: featuring music videos, interviews, choreography, and more :)

• Wagner Moura // The Daily Show Interview

  • Wagner Moura is the lead actor in the 2025 Brazilian political thriller The Secret Agent — a film exploring values and memory under dictatorship in Brazil in 1977. In this interview on The Daily Show, he eloquently describes the purpose of the film, the importance of preserving historical memory, and what partially sparked both his and the director’s dedication to telling this story at this particular moment in time.

  

• Excavator by Don Toliver (music video)

  • Don Toliver’s latest album, OCTANE is another project from him with cohesive, forward-thinking aesthetics. His music video for Excavator is a direct extension of the album’s aesthetic, almost to the point that at times you can barely tell whether this is a music video set or an inside look at the album’s headquarters, with captivating visuals in every frame.

  

   

• Booman Documentary by Baby Keem & pgLang

  • Ahead of dropping his latest album Casino, Baby Keem announced the release with a three-part short documentary series, Booman, showcasing his family and childhood through interviews and priceless homemade footage. It sets the tone as the perfect prelude to an album led by personal narratives that flesh out some of what we saw across the documentary episodes.

  

   

• Normani x Jordan Chiles // All Yours Choreography

  • Normani always delivers great choreography moments, and as someone who loved her 2024 project Dopamine and has been taking dance classes for fun, I was excited to see one for All Yours. For extra fun, she taught the routine step by step to American gymnast Jordan Chiles, who also loves dance. Enjoyed watching the process as always, and of course, I picked up a move or two. Or three.

     

• Girls Gone Wild by JT (music video)

  • I am loving this visual style for JT’s Girls Gone Wild. The song is a fun, club-ready mix with the perfect visual match of colors, patterns, fashion, and choreography. Great execution all around! I would love to see more of this sound and style from her.

  

   

• My Father’s Shadow directed by Akinola Davies Jr.

  • I still don’t have the words to truly encapsulate what this screening meant to me. My Father’s Shadow showcases a father-and-son dynamic amid heightened political tensions during the 1993 Nigerian election. I took my dad, who was in Lagos at the time, making for an especially meaningful screening. Such a tender, delicate, ethereal directorial debut from Akinola Davies Jr.

  

   

• Can Morality Be Found in Nature? Words by Willow Defebaugh

  • This Atmos article ponders whether morality is found in nature, given that it tends to be regarded as a human construct. Willow Defebaugh pushes back against the idea that morality isn’t natural, showcasing instances in the animal kingdom where morality, empathy, and fairness are demonstrated and even shown to be an evolutionary advantage.

     

• Keepsake Album by Ragz Originale

  • Ragz Originale once again with an intentionally crafted soulful R&B album with groovy tempos, and atmospheric vocals. Keepsake delivers the perfect dose.