FUSE TV - Watch: Afrobeat Vets Antibalas Release Debut Video, "Dirty Money"

New York City's Antibalas—co-founded by Victor Axelrod, a founding member of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings—have been carrying the torch for Afrobeat and funk for more than a decade. They're clearly indebted to Fela Kuti's pioneering grooves—various members have worked on the Broadway musical Fela!—but they have carved out their own unique niche via their exhilarating live performances. 

Until now, though, the group have never made an official video. Check out "Dirty Money" above, the debut single from their upcoming eponymous album out August 7 on Daptone Records. In the video, the band—considered New York folk heroes who support working-class issues—use puppets to illustrate the effects of the financial crisis. They wisely use humor and frivolity to highlight deadly serious issues, roping you in without trivializing the message or the cause. And who doesn't like puppets?