LOS ANGELES—AVN Hall of Fame performer/director and Wicked Sensual Care brand strategist Jessica Drake lends her talents to new music video "The Answer" from Bay Area artist Ricky Lake and acclaimed hip-hop video director Matt Zolly, premiering on all platforms this Friday, April 8, from San Francisco-based Text Me Records.
Lake, whose music can be heard in such diverse shows as The L Word: Generation Q ("What I'm on Tonight") and Queen of the South ("Tryna Get Paid"), enthused of his experience collaborating with Drake, "Jessica put me at ease almost immediately. We spent at least half of the shoot just laughing. I’d say a major highlight was the tennis scene—Jessica and I got to rally a little bit back and forth. The whole shoot was hilarious and so much fun. Working with jessica was an honor and truly a great experience!”
Director Zolly became involved in the project after wanting to learn more about
web3, a space already familiar to Text Me founder Patrick Brown. A phone call from Zolly to learn about NFTs quickly transitioned to Brown playing an ear-catching unreleased single by Lake, sparking the concept for a video where Ricky is swept away by an unlikely romance.
“In taking on this project, I was a little nervous about who would play Ricky's love interest," said Zolly, whose previous video credits include collaborations with Rosalia, Lil Yachty, Lil Nas X, and Travis Scott. "I really liked the idea of combining an innocent stoner dude from the city with a wealthy, attractive older woman from the suburbs, but I knew our lead would really have to fit the bill. Upon meeting Jessica I was immediately impressed with her professionalism. Jessica lent herself to the production entirely and even incorporated some of her own wardrobe to help bring the character to life.
"On set, she was as cool as a cucumber," Zolly recalled. "She totally got into character and it really felt like she had seniority over Ricky, which was one of the main things I hoped to get across. In addition to the cute stuff we shot in the city for their ‘first date,’ she really led the charge during some of the more steamy moments. I couldn't have asked for a better lead than Jessica Drake."
“This is my first project since the pandemic began, and I was starving for a role I could really sink my teeth into,” Drake offered. “Once I heard the concept for the video and had the first meeting, I immediately grasped the creative potential of this project. Working alongside Ricky was amazing. As an artist, he has such talent in expressing himself, and in person he was no different. He was a dream to work with—funny, kind, creative and very willing. I love that in a scene partner. And the steamier scenes—that you’ll only find as an NFT—really showcase our chemistry.”
Of her director, Drake praised, “Matt knows exactly what he wants with every shot. Even when I wasn’t on camera, watching him work was fascinating. He may act low-key, but his directing style and skill screams from the rooftops. He assembled the perfect crew, and I’m grateful to have been part of that.“
The song's Friday release will be accompanied by a series of blockchain-based marketing initiatives, including:
• An alternate “adult” video edit available as an exclusive NFT on Glass.xyz.
• Alternate song art and audio available as a 1 of 1 NFT on Catalog.works.
• Song art + audio available as 25 NFT editions on Mint Songs.
• Collectible NFTs from the video available on Mirror.xyz.
• Friday, April 8 at 2:00 p.m. PT, Drake will join Lake, Zolly, video producer Patrick Koitzsch and Text Me’s Patrick Brown for a Twitter Space on the video, hosted by Glass.xyz, where the video NFT will be up for auction.
Drake will be donating her share of the NFT sales to Feed the Streets, a community-based mutual aid organization that collects donated food, hygiene products, clothing and educational items. Founded in Southern California (where Drake is vice president of the Los Angeles chapter), Feed the Streets is expanding its outreach with weekly support drives, a New York City chapter, and initiatives designed to create bonds with underserved communities throughout the nation.
“This will be the first NFT project I’m involved in,” Drake added. “I can’t wait to give fans this unique opportunity to get a special piece of me, while helping out a great cause!”
