Project Overview

Clean Up music video focuses on some of the intimate moments of Malcolm X’s life that in Joel’s mind shaped his own character. There is so much beauty in the fight that is right, no matter how big or small the problem you are trying to fix is. Clean Up captures some of Malcolm X’s world through the leader’s point of view with the camera stepping up to the role of his own eyes. One might wonder about what his days felt like as those of a man with great influence and thirst for change while also being reminded of the fact that even today the fight isn’t over yet. While the POV shots are stylized in 1960s aesthetics and focus on human connection and aspiration for a better future, the modern day part of the video is portrayed in reverse and with cooler tones, alluding to the fact that sometimes progress includes going backwards before another important push.