cole bennett

Lil Durk And Kid Cudi’s ‘Guitar In My Room’ Video Is A Luminous Look At Rap’s Most Influential Signature Sounds

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If hip-hop’s 50th-anniversary celebrations have taught fans of the culture anything, it’s just how expansive the music has been. Rapper Lil Durk and Kid Cudi are two shining examples of the genre’s growth. The two sub-section innovators linked up for a new track titled “Guitar In My Room.”

Both the track and its official accompanying video are spearheaded by Cole Bennett. As the second single off Bennett’s forthcoming compilation album, “Guitar In My Room,” is a luminous look at their duo’s influential signature sounds. To open the record, Durk lets listeners into his bittersweet reality.

“I’m in a room with my guitar, I’m tryna prove that I’m a star / But I hate when we keep distance ’cause it’s a difference with response / Keep it natural the first day, we gon’ watch Tubi in the car / Ask me what’s my motivation, I say, ‘The trenches,’ she say, ‘Why?’ / I was takin’ all prescriptions, them drugs / I wanna ask for your permission, don’t judge / Before you ever get a job, get a gun,” rapped Durk.

Cudi shifts the energy from gloomy to litty when it is his turn on the mic. “Caught you in a dream, I hit you with that sauce / If we aim at the moon, no, baby, we won’t fall / She said she miss that feeling / A real n**** that is so appealin’ / Keep it low, baby, I’m not leavin’ / Soakin’ up your glory days slow / If there’s problems, I’ll solve ’em, no lie / You never had a n**** catchin’ all the signs / It’s time, baby, lost in the lights,” rapped Cudi.

Watch the “Guitar In My Room” video above.

Drake & Cole Bennett Announce Music Video In The Works

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Amid a lot of hype for his upcoming album For All The Dogs, Drake recently announced what’s assumedly a big part of his rollout. There are a lot of things that can contribute to a project lead-up: singles, press runs, tours, and of course, music videos. What’s more is that this marks a first-time collaboration between the “Privileged Rappers” MC and one of the best in the game when it comes to visuals. Moreover, he recently posted on his Instagram Story that he’s working on a music video with none other than Cole Bennett. If you don’t recognize that name, you will most definitely recognize many MVs from his long list of directed work via his creative outlet, Lyrical Lemonade.

“Coming soon,” Drake captioned a picture of Cole with a camera with an owl and lemon emoji. “I was gonna keep it a secret but…” Bennett replied in an IG Story of his own reposting Drizzy’s photo. This is overall a very exciting prospect, not just for the historic nature of this team-up but for the anticipation surrounding For All The Dogs. More importantly, though, it’s a massive level-up for the acclaimed director in terms of visibility, though he doesn’t need the OVO mogul to keep building his career forward.

Read More: Drake’s “For All The Dogs” Album Has Nicki Minaj Seriously Excited

Drake & Cole Bennett Are Cooking Up Something Special

For example, Cole Bennett recently worked with Lil Yachty once more for the video for his recent single, “TESLA.” With colorfully coordinated shots, crisp clarity, and compelling composition, it’s a simple but effective display of his talents. Considering Yachty and Drake’s own great relationship, maybe this is the connection that Bennett needed to link up with the latter. However, with the massive reputation he’s already amassed, there’s no way that the Toronto superstar wasn’t aware of his reach.

No matter how you slice it, this opportunity gathered more conversation and buzz than most music videos these days. It’ll be very exciting to see what they craft together. All we can hope for is that, if they’re happy with it and fans are too, it won’t be their last team-up. For more news and the latest updates on Drake and Cole Bennett, come back to HNHH.

Read More: Cole Bennett Recalls Rejecting Kanye West’s Ideas For “Mixed Personalities” Video

The post Drake & Cole Bennett Announce Music Video In The Works appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Trippie Redd & Roddy Ricch’s ‘Closed Doors’ Video Is A Sweet Bite-Sized Look Into Their More Romantic Sides

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Trippie Redd is among the biggest rap ragers, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a soft spot. On his new single, “Closed Doors,” off his new album, A Love Letter To You 5, Trippie teams with Roddy Ricch to show off their more romantic sides. The official video for the track, which was directed by Cole Bennett, is a sweet bite-sized look at the lengths the pair will go to for their special ladies.

In the video, Trippie and Roddy visually shrink themselves down as a metaphor for how they are willing to step out of their superstar personas for their gals. Although Trippie is known for his signature grunge sound, he has no problems throwing himself into the song’s R&B sounds.

Trippee even pays homage to singer Lloyd’s 2004 song “Southside” as Trippie melodically raps, “I done popped a Perky, waitin’ on an Addy / Got us doin’ things we ain’t done before / F*ckin’ you in mansions, crib came with expansions / Doing dirty things behind closed doors / I got you Dior sight / Got you catchin’ feelings, we was so tight / That p*ssy good, I co-sign / We both end up doin’ dirty things behind closed doors.”

This small tribute was a stellar touch on the part of the producers of “Closed Doors,” Igor Mamet, Puku, Niketaz, and OneintheForest.

Roddy Ricch’s verse perfectly aligns with “Closed Doors”‘ theme, with him dedicating his stanza to his better half: “I love the way you deal with a nigga, that’s so anti / Knew it was real when you got my name tatted on your backside / You love my highs and my lows in the worst way / And you make every day I wake up feel like my birthday.”

Watch the full video for “Closed Doors” above.

A Love Letter To You 5 is out now via 1400 Entertainment/10K Projects. Find more information here.

Roddy Ricch is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Juice WRLD And Cordae’s ‘Doomsday’ Video Puts Deepfake Technology To Mind-Bending Good Use

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Generally, I find all the deepfakes and AI use in music today — especially when it comes to deceased artists’ posthumous releases — ethically iffy, if not downright creepy. I’m willing to make an exception for Lyrical Lemonade’s off-the-wall “Doomsday” collab between Juice WRLD and Cordae, though. For one, Juice and Cordae were very tight in real life, and for another, both were extremely close with director Cole Bennett, who was instrumental to both of their careers.

But mostly, it’s because the project came out super tight, which is something you can’t always say for similar works. In this case, we get another opportunity to hear both young rappers at the respective heights of their game — something they got too few chances to give us while Juice was alive — as well as to hear Juice really rapping. Also, the deepfake effect in the video is used in a creative way, allowing Cordae to perform for the both of them as he morphs back and forth between his own face and Juice’s.

Eminem, whose song “Role Model” is sampled here, even makes an appearance at the beginning of the video and his association with Cordae and Juice is just enough to make you wonder whether it’s more digital trickery, or really the man himself showing love to the younger rappers (and Cole, who directed his “Godzilla” video).

Check out the “Doomsday” video above.

Cordae is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Cole Bennett Announces Chicago Bears Draft Pick: “I’m Off A Few Bud Lights”

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Cole Bennett of Lyrical Lemonade fame announced the Chicago Bears’ third-round pick at the NFL Draft on Friday night in Kansas City. The iconic music video director and Illinois native shared on stage that the team selected defensive tackle Zacch Pickens with the 64th overall pick. The 23-year-old played college football at South Carolina.

“It’s pretty crazy to be here right now,” Bennett said to the audience. “I’m off a few Bud Lights so give me a second here. But I recognize that I’m in Kansas City, so go Chiefs. But I’m really here to say bear down. Where we at Chicago?”

Zacch Pickens At The NFL Combine

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 01: South Carolina defensive lineman Zacch Pickens answers questions from the media during the NFL Scouting Combine on March 1, 2023, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Cole Bennett has made a name for himself in Chicago specifically for organizing Lyrical Lemonade’s annual Summer Smash Festival. This year, Kid Cudi, Future, and Playboi Carti have been tapped as headliners with special guests including $UICIDEBOY$, Lil Uzi Vert, and “a very special Chicago guest” also set to appear. Other artists on the lineup include Vince Staples, Ice Spice, GloRilla, Freddie Gibbs, Rico Nasty, Juicy J, BabyTron, Ski Mask The Slump God, NLE Choppa, G Herbo, Lil B, Tee Grizzly, Cordae, Trippie Redd, Central Cee, and Lucki, among others.

As for the Bears’ young prospect, Zacch Pickens is listed at 6-foot-4 and 291-pounds as an athletic interior lineman. After the selection, general manager Ryan Poles likened him to former Kansas City Chiefs star Dontari Poe. “Like I say, there’s a level of multiplier where they can help other people as well, free other individuals up to make plays. Those guys have those pieces,” he said of the team’s selections. “And then the other thing is just coming up through the ranks, grade the flashes. Grade the flashes.” With all of their selections, the Bears will look to bounce back from a disappointing 2022 season that saw them finish with a record of just 3-14.

Cole Bennett At The NFL Draft

[Via]

Cole Bennett Celebrates New Juice WRLD Milestone

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Cole Bennett is celebrating a new milestone on a video he shot with Juice WRLD. In a new post on Instagram, the famed music video director posted a tribute to the first video he shot with the late rapper. The two were frequent collaborators and, all in all, Bennett was responsible for 7 of Juice’s videos. They began their collaborative relationship in 2018 when he shot the video for Juice WRLD’s single “All Girls Are The Same.” Throughout their time working together, the director became one of Juice’s most outspoken supporters. As such, Bennett was devastated when Juice passed away in 2019.

Juice’s death was a huge blow to the community as he seemed to be one of the fastest-rising stars in the industry. Since passing, the rapper’s music has only become more popular. In 2021, the RIAA announced that the rapper had posthumously received 50 new platinum and gold song certifications. His 2018 single “Lucid Dreams” has gone 9x platinum.

Bennett Remembers Juice As A Friend

Cole Bennett and Juice WRLD were more than just collaborators. They were friends. In a new Instagram post, Bennett celebrated his first video with Juice reaching 300 million views. The post features several behind-the-scenes photos of the two shooting the video. Along with the photos, Bennett had some kind words to say about the rapper. “The first video Juice and I did together hit 300 million views today,” he said in the caption. “Try telling us that 5 years ago and we’d never believe it.”

After Juice WRLD’s tragic and untimely death, fans and friends gathered at the Chicago United Center in late 2021 to celebrate the life and impact of the singer. Bennett was one of many attendees, and he stepped on stage to deliver a touching message about the friendship between the two. “The narrative was always, you know Cole and Lyrical Lemonade were such a blessing to Juice’s career,” Bennett said. “And as time went on, I realized that he was really the blessing to me.” If Juice was alive today, he would no doubt feel the same about Bennett. What’s your favorite collaboration between Cole Bennett and Juice WRLD? Let us know in the comments below!

EST Gee And Jack Harlow Try On Performance Outfits In The Cole Bennett-Directed ‘Backstage Passes’ Video

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EST Gee released his new album I Never Felt Nun on Friday (September 16) and he has already shared the first post-release video. The Louisville rapper taps his fellow hometown lyricist and longtime collaborator Jack Harlow for “Backstage Passes,” featuring direction by Lyrical Lemonade’s Cole Bennett.

The video opens with the duo sitting in a waiting room dressed in blue denim before the room shifts into the backdrop for a fitting session, taking on the same colors they are wearing. As the two then change into to red and white outfits, the backdrops follow suit. As Gee and Harlow finally land upon the white outfits they are pleased with, they step through a curtain and perform a live show in front of a raucous crowd. In the end, they return to the waiting room as it is finally their time for whatever appointment they are present for.

“Backstage Passes” is the fourth collaboration between EST Gee and Jack Harlow, following “Rotten,” “The Department,” and “Route 66.” Gee’s new album I Never Felt Nun also features Bryson Tiller, Machine Gun Kelly, Jeezy, and Future, who appeared on one of the lead singles “Shoot It Myself.”

Earlier this year, Jack Harlow shared his sophomore album Come Home The Kids Miss You led by “Nail Tech” and “First Class” which samples Fergie’s 2000s hit “Glamorous.”

Check out “Backstage Passes” above.

I Never Felt Nun is out now via CMG/Interscope. Listen here.

EST Gee and Jack Harlow are Warner Music Artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.