When Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One aren’t busy laying down some sweet tracks, they’re engaged in the most epic tennis match that has ever been witnessed outside of Wimbledon. It’s unclear what spoils the victor takes home, but one thing that is certain is that there are other perks to being the victor other than a trophy.
When Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One initially teamed up to put together a few tracks, although the tracks made a ripple across the music industry, nobody really knew where the music came from. It was unclear what kind of creative minds were behind the endeavor. A short time later, it was revealed to the public that the tracks were from a group known as Tuxedo, a dynamic new duo consisting of Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One. Needless to say, there was some degree of excitement over the announcement. Some time after Tuxedo revealed themselves, a brand new record came out in the form of their eponymous debut full-length record, and the “funky disco grooves” that saturated the record soon took everyone by storm.
Now, with the record out and the word spreading like wildfire, the duo have released a new video for “Number One,” a single off of the new record. The video depicts the duo taking each other on in the tennis court, presumably after joining forces in the studio. In the beginning of the video, we see Hawthorne serenading one of the lovely ladies that has been assigned to retrieve balls that have hit the net. Hawthorne’s seduction techniques seem to backfire at first, as as Jake One gains a mighty tactical advantage that’s seemingly insurmountable. Then, suddenly, Hawthorne makes his comeback. Fueled by the apparent success of his aforementioned serenading, Hawthorne gradually begins his counter-assault against Jake One, scratching and clawing his way to a victory.
Who knows what the underlying symbolism of the video seems to imply, other than the implied link between success on the tennis court and success with the ladies. What we are left with is a question: What would the tennis greats make of the video? Would McEnroe throw a hissy at Jake One? I’m not sure, but apparently, this doesn’t concern either Hawthorne or Jake One.