"Hero" is the chill new entry in the sneaker company's Three Artists, One Song series.
At first, these names don't seem to go together. Frank Ocean, Diplo, and The Clash are all from different worlds. But then you remember that Diplo produced M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes," which samples The Clash's "Straight To Hell."
According to Diplo, he first met guitarist Mick Jones and bassist Paul Simonon through their lawyers. But those two songs are tremendous, so why wouldn't Diplo and these former Clashmen (and current Gorillaz) collaborate? It might work. Other songs in the Three Artists One Song series have worked well. And then you remember that Diplo knows everybody and is the most omnivorous dude in music, so of course he knows Frank Ocean. How hard would it be to rope Frank Ocean into making a song with two of the guys who made London Calling? They're all musically adventurous fellas capable of working in multiple genres at the same time. On new track "Hero," there's some reggae, some indie rock, some soul. There's a children's choir like the vocals on "Career Opportunities." There are some signature Diplo flourishes like random horn samples and keyboard swells. Frank Ocean declares his love for the band Queen.
It's not revolutionary the way The Clash and Diplo and Frank Ocean have been other times, but the song is sponsored by Converse. And it doesn't need to be revolutionary. It's just a chill track that shows how good these musicians can be even when they're purposefully nonessential.
[h/t Pitchfork]
Image via Converse Music.
