The opening action sequence in Netflix’s animated series Bass X Machina features an alternate take on Kendrick Lamar’s “The Blacker The Berry.”
In a video posted on Netflix’s Strong Black Lead X account, a shootout breaks out inside a train car before Bass Reeves, voiced by Brian Tyree Henry, asks, “Anybody wanna reconsider? You got until I finish reloading this gun.”
“Time’s up,” Reeves announces, setting the stage for the remix of “The Blacker The Berry.”
Released on Nov. 3, Bass X Machina is a sci-fi steampunk Western animated series for adults, created by LeSean Thomas. The show features voice performances from Brian Tyree Henry, Currie Graham, Cree Summer, and Janelle Monáe.
“In a steampunk West overrun by outlaws, machines and supernatural forces, a father is forced to become judge, jury and executioner to protect his family,” the description on its Netflix page reads.
The series has also earned strong reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, boasting a 100 percent critics’ score and a 92 percent audience score.
For those unfamiliar with Kendrick Lamar’s anime-inspired side, Mustard revealed in an interview with GRAMMY.com last year that Lamar told him the beat for “Hey Now” made him feel like Goku.
“I had heard ‘Hey Now’ during the ‘Not Like Us’ video shoot; he played me a snippet. I asked him, ‘Man, what made you do that?’ And he said, ‘When I heard the beat, I just felt like Goku or something’,” said Mustard. “I was like, ‘What?’ And he explained, ‘Yeah, when I hear certain shit on your beats, it brings out something else in me, so I just did whatever I felt.’ I was like, ‘Wow, that’s crazy.'”
