Haze Mahdi sparked interest from critics and fans alike a while back after collaborating with fellow tri-city rap authority Dave East on “Momentum.” Determined to keep the same energy, the skilled emcee takes things into overdrive in the Bryan Nunez-directed visual for “Certified.”

Speaking on the record, Haze states, “The day I heard the beat I knew this was the joint I wanted to lead the year off with. So I clipped the Certified beat from the other snippets & kept it looping until I had I a hook. The next week I was in the Studio laying it down & it all came naturally. I figure if I fail I want it all to be on me, & if I succeed, same shit. I decided to do it all independent & bet on myself, no nepotism, no manager, no investors, no labels secretly behind me. All off the muscle.”

Watch the small-screen adaptation of the V Don-produced single, which co-star’s Hershey Lust and Jacob Berger, above.