Lil Durk and Gunna pay homage to late designer Virgil Abloh in the Cole Bennett-directed video for their new single, “What Happened To Virgil.” Lyrical Lemonade, Bennett’s production company, is well-known for its colorful, surreal, and whimsical videos, which are a far cry from Durk and Gunna’s grittier visuals. This dynamic turns out to actually be a perfect tribute to Abloh’s high-low aesthetic, which saw him bringing streetwear virtues to high-fashion venues such as Louis Vuitton, where he was the artistic director until his recent passing.
Other nods to Virgil throughout the video include references to his background in architecture; in one scene, Gunna and Durk rap atop the roof of a model house inside a warehouse. Also, Vigirl’s tendency to play with gender tropes makes an appearance as Gunna delivers his verse dressed like Michael Jackson in the “Thriller” video (complete with one sparkle-covered glove), holding a bouquet of flowers as he raps to the camera. Meanwhile, “Air Drake,” the private plane co-owned by the Toronto rapper makes an appearance in its Abloh-designed cloud-patterned paint job. The video concludes with a dedication to Alboh and a description of some of the other tributes he received from Louis Vuitton, and his own brand, Off-White.
Watch Lil Durk and Gunna’s “What Happened To Virgil” video above.