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Kano shares new short film on the inspiration of his Jamaican heritage

Kano also explores how Jamaica inspired his new brand of white rum

By Patrick Clarke

A still from Kano's new short film
A still from Kano's new short film (Photo: Press)

Kano has released a new short film called ‘A Blessed Place’, which explores his Jamaican heritage and is released in partnership with the drinks company Duppy Share Caribbean Rums..

You can watch the eleven-minute film below, which was shot in Kingston and Browns Town in Jamaica. It sees Kano reflecting on his experiences of the country throughout his life, and how it informed his creation of a new white rum, Duppy White, in collaboration with Duppy Share.

“I think there’s a few different rhythms to a place like Jamaica,” Kano says in the film. “I feel like this today, feel like that tomorrow. It’s different if I’m downtown, that hecticness, that hustle, and if I’m on the coast or in the country, everything slows down. I think it’s a blend of those different rhythms and heartbeats that make this unique harmony.”

A press release says that “The creation of Duppy White saw Kano working across every element of the production, including the design, the taste and the story, to create a white rum with a smooth taste profile that draws from the best flavours that Jamaica has to offer.”

Kano adds in the film: “Duppy White is about celebrating life non-stop, and that’s because no matter what circumstances you come from, it’s important to try and adopt a mentality of not just existing, but living.”

The film was directed by Aneil Karia, who also worked with Kano on the short film ‘Trouble’, which accompanied the short film that accompanied his 2019 album ‘Hoodies All Summer’.

“Collaborating with Kano is always a pleasure,” Karia said. “Whenever we work together on a film – whether it’s fact or fiction – the M.O is always to capture the ‘reality’ as deeply as possible. With this piece, we wanted the viewer to be able to actually breathe in the Jamaica that Kano knows and loves. To make something intimate, personal… sensory.”

Kano first launched Duppy White in September. The back of the bottle features an illustrated Empire Windrush ship, as well as lyrics from Kano’s song ‘SYM’ from ‘Hoodies All Summer’: “Every entrance to a door has a footprint left by the ones that came before / Let’s talk about the day the wind was rushed up on the shore.”