Grimes Becomes an Anime Cyborg in Ashnikko Collaboration "Cry"

BY Alex HudsonPublished Jun 17, 2020

While the world remains fascinated by Grimes legally naming her child X AE A-XII, she's turning the focus back to her music from the time being by teaming up with viral TikTok star Ashnikko for the new single "Cry."

The song is a hip-hop banger that dabbles in atmospheric electronics and heavy riffs in a way that bears some distinct similarities to Grimes' recent album, Miss Anthropocene. Ashnikko's powerful rapping and belting dominates much of the brief two-minute track, but Grimes shows up halfway through for a softly cooed verse that's full of reverb and Shakespeare references.

As for the video directed by Mike Anderson, it takes viewers into the uncanny valley with its Alita-style anime cyborgs. There's even a slightly Grimes-looking floating pixie character.

Check out the "Cry" video below.

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