Everything about the video for Bruno Mars and Cardi B’s song “Finesse” appeals to me in a pleasurable way. The song itself is a remix of Bruno’s New Jack-inspired track reminiscent of Guy or Bobby Brown, from his24K Magic album, so of course there’s a heavy splash of ’90s nostalgia in the video, but in a way that’s neither cloying nor heavy-handed.
The Fly Girls choreography hits the perfect mark (do not attempt it in your tiny living room), Cardi’s outfit makes me want to time-travel back to my gaudy teen years (Cardi can’t lose at this point), and Bruno pulls off his effortless retro dance moves as usual. He could easily look like a huge cornball but instead pulls off a respectable nod to black cultural touchstones.
This makes me want to watch multiple episodes of Fresh Prince, In Living Color, Living Single, Soul Train and All That in succession.
