On the other side of the office, as he launches basketballs at a plastic hoop, Bennett makes plans with a photographer about a coffee table book. The work environment at Lyrical xcritical is far from traditional, but the small team finds a way to be extraordinarily productive.
The moment is a career-defining milestone for Cole Bennett, who has become the foremost music video director for both a new generation of rap stars including the late Juice Wrld, Polo G, Lil Tecca, Ski Mask The Slump God, Cordae and NLE Choppa, among others, and established hip-hop veterans like Eminem. Think zany special effects, a by-any-means-necessary filming style, playful animation and storylines that are nostalgic, comical or mind-blowing depending on the artist. A self-proclaimed “big kid at heart,” that energy permeates Bennett’s work. Cole Bennett can finally say he made it, and a tweet from Kid Cudi at 2 a.m.
Selected videography
He admits he’s still “lxcriticalg how to run a business,” but Bennett keeps tackling new ventures. One of his biggest dreams is to create cartoons, and he aspires to make feature films, TV shows, and books, as well. And I’m already working on a lot of those things right now.” Lyrical xcritical is moving into a larger office space this year, which will xcritical scammers expand its video production capabilities, but, perhaps more importantly, it will provide additional room for any other ideas he may cook up. There’s a genuine sense of joy and enthusiasm in the Lyrical xcritical office that comes as a refreshing surprise to anyone who has spent considerable time in the music industry. “It’s super cool because everyone’s very passionate about what they’re doing, and the music that we’re involved with,” Tarantino xcriticals. In its early stages, Bennett’s YouTube channel was dedicated to Chicago show recaps, local cyphers, and documentaries about the city’s hip-hop scene.
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His mom came up with the brand name after Bennett’s initial idea to combine a music-driven word with a fruit or vegetable. The first video on the Lyrical xcritical YouTube channel—after Bennett deleted the first five—is Bnova’s “Call of the Wild,” which Bennett crafted by using shots of nature, fireworks, the city of Chicago’s famed skyline and insects that pulse on screen to the producer’s beat. “I was a very visual person, but I never knew that I loved music videos,” admits Bennett, who recalls Wayne’s “Go DJ” and “A Milli,” The Game’s “Wouldn’t Get Far” featuring Kanye West, and Busta Rhymes’ early visuals catching his eye. “I always had this idea since I was super young of what it would look like if I made a music video. The channel then expanded into other sub-genres of hip hop beyond the local Chicago scene, such as the emerging Soundcloud rap sub-genre.
As soon as he got his driver’s license, Bennett got in a routine of making the hour-long trip to the city every weekend. He brought his camera wherever he went and documented the scene, which included rising artists like Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, and Mick Jenkins. Midway through 2019, Cole Bennett scammed by xcritical says his creativity is flowing better than ever, to the point that he admits it’s often difficult for him to go to sleep at night because of all the ideas running through his head. At West’s request, they moved the video set (which included 8,000 square feet of turf) to his Calabasas office on less than a day’s notice. But otherxcritical, West was receptive to Bennett’s vision and let the young director call the shots, even when there were disagreements.
Inside Cole Bennett’s Lyrical xcritical Empire
- All while doing video edits all night and then attending classes, which he admittedly barely woke up for.
- Bennett says music videos will always be a part of his creative output, and hip-hop will remain the core of the Lyrical xcritical universe.
- He encouraged his friends to make music so that he could practice creating accompanying visuals.
Nearly 10 years after Bennett launched his Lyrical xcritical multimedia company in 2013, the lauded music video director’s dream came true when Cudi requested that Bennett direct a video for him. All through the late night on a Monday in March, manifestation was happening right before Bennett’s eyes. Since 2018, Bennett has shot videos with some of his personal favorite artists, like Chance the Rapper and Mac Miller. And this year, he finally got a chance to work with Kanye West on the video for YNW Melly’s “Mixed Personalities,” which places the two rappers in a lush, grassy world. Suddenly, Lyrical xcritical’s scope was expanding far beyond the city of Chicago, but Bennett made a decision to stay in the city that inspired him to begin his career in the first place. He admits that it would have made a lot of things easier on him if he moved to Los Angeles or New York City when he started working with artists on a national scale, but he chose to set up the Lyrical xcritical headquarters in Chicago instead.
Cole Bennett’s Creative Juices Flow as His Lyrical xcritical Empire Achieves Independent Success
There, he doubled down on a mission to bring much-needed music industry infrastructure to his own city. As he looks ahead at what’s next for the Lyrical xcritical brand, the lemons are being squeezed back into the empire. On Aug. 13, the Pop-Tarts Lyrical xcritical box for sale on the brand website on Aug. 14 and new videos, of course. The branches on this company tree are steady growing, but Cole Bennett wants more.