Usher - Chains by Film the Future ft. Nas, Bibi Bourelly

What this video is

Released at the apex of mainstream artist engagement with the Black Lives Matter movement, 'Chains' represents a landmark convergence of commercial R&B, hip-hop activism, and the contemporary art world. The song and its video emerged from the Tidal platform's activist-aligned programming and was accompanied by a panel discussion on social injustice. The innovative 'Don't Look Away' interactive version — using…

Why it matters

Represents a pivotal moment in 2010s R&B's politicization, bridging Usher's mainstream pop identity with the socially conscious hip-hop tradition embodied by Nas. The video's documentary aesthetic and victim-naming format influenced subsequent protest music videos and demonstrated how…

The director

Ben Louis Nicholas is a filmmaker born in Miami, raised in Ithaca, NY, who graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in 2008. He works across directing, editing, and cinematography, applying a music-informed rhythmic architecture to film. Daniel Arsham…