I admired Nitty Scott’s work long before I met her. I loved how direct she was, so I wrote to her and asked if she’d ever want to collaborate.
About a year later, she wrote back. She was making a video for “BBYGRL” and invited me to drum in it.
Apparently, patience is also a percussion skill.
We filmed in a Brooklyn studio in April 2018. I brought my kit, the one with the heart on the kick drum. The set was full of old televisions and amps, and every scene had its own color. Mine was yellow.
My part was on camera. The track was already recorded, and I got to give its rhythm a physical presence. NYLON introduced the song in 2017 as a feminist anthem, and the track was later featured on HBO’s 2 Dope Queens.
I loved seeing how differently each woman carried herself in the video. Years earlier, a classmate I looked up to had told me drums were for men. Here I was, behind my own kit, in a video that made me think about what girls might do if they grew up hearing something different.
Near the end, the song addresses “babygirl” directly. The spoken outro draws on Rupi Kaur, and there’s a part about being told you’re different from other girls, as if being wanted means accepting a compliment at their expense.
I love where the video goes from there. The women get together, start breaking things and crack up. Everybody looks like they’re having an absolute blast.
I drummed through the whole song, over and over, while Nitty sang. It was a long day on set, and I loved every take: women taking up space, and the patriarchy getting a little rhythmic kick.
I came to the shoot with a heart on my kick drum. I’m very glad the video also had room for a little property damage.
Some collaborations take a year to arrive. This one was worth the wait.
Official video · NYLON song premiere · HBO placement reference
“BBYGRL” by Nitty Scott. Director: Francisco Outon. Mila Tina appears as a drummer in the video. Behind-the-scenes photos and video: Mila Tina.