Maria Isa and Muja Messiah form Villa Rosa, release first video

Even though these two artists may not have quite the name recognition that Jay-Z and Kanye do, it’s safe to assume local girl Maria Isa and Brooklyn Park bad boy Muja Messiah have plenty of fans of the Minnesota hip-hop scene just as excited to hear what’s in store for this year’s other big rap collaboration album. Okay, it’s not at all as big, but by god! It’s still a collaboration.

Know as Villa Rosa when they’re together, Isa and Messiah, who have appeared on each other’s albums numerous times throughout their respective careers, will be releasing Blue Diamond Island, their first joint album, on Saturday with a show at the First Avenue Mainroom. To drum up support for the project, Villa Rosa made a stop at The Current’s Local Show this past Sunday night and then released the first video from the project, “Watch Out,” earlier today. Clearly the video was not filmed anywhere around Minnesota.

Serving as a good combination of Isa’s laid-backed reggae vibes and Messiah’s penchant for grittier, intimidating boast tracks, the song finds the duo name checking Fela Kuti, Albert Einstein, and Optimus Prime, all while wearing a variety of goofy hats and eyewear. Frankly, any song that manages to mention vitiligo is a keeper in our books.