foreign
might have been a mistake but you know
what we're here you know
all right
[Music]
hey what's going on everybody for first
week Feast I'm Sean Evans and you're
watching hot ones it's the show with hot
questions and even hotter wings and
today we're joined by Cole Bennett he's
a music video director hip-hop
tastemaker and The Man Behind lyrical
lemonade multimedia Empire go check out
his work with everyone from Eminem to
post Malone and many more in the lyrical
lemonade YouTube page with its casual 20
million subscribers of which I'm proud
to say I am one Cole Bennett welcome to
the show thank you so much for having me
how are you around spicy production oh
well you deserve it thank you sir
um I'm like really bad with spicy food I
always thought you know one day if I
ever do this interview like how bad it
will be for me but I think that I think
I think I'll be good
[Music]
foreign
[Music]
phenomenal
so I've always had an appreciation for
the impact of music videos from The Hype
Williams big budget days to that Scrappy
Time when you'd see premieres on
notwright.com to you and what I would
consider to be the most cohesive visual
representation of today's Young rappers
what role do you think that the music
video plays in defining today's hip-hop
era
I think music videos are really
important because
um it pairs a visual experience with you
know the song audio and um for me I like
to always make sure that the video comes
out with the song so your first time
hearing that song is like this
experience that you remember being
attached to visually and I feel like
music videos connected with an artist
and uh you know they display their
character and their personality and you
can get fun and bring someone out of
their typical world and um
I think it's just uh it's it's a moment
it's an experience and yeah I think it's
super important
that one wasn't bad at all I'm feeling
like I could do this
it's like many creatives I understand
that your journey began by just doing
grabbing a camera and making videos not
necessarily drawing inspiration from any
particular filmmaker but it feels humor
me what I want to do is Bounce a series
of quotes off of you from people who are
widely considered to be some of the
greatest rap music video directors ever
and I'm just curious your reaction to
them and whether or not they ring true
to you okay absolutely so this first one
is from Director X anytime I disagree
with the artist when the project is done
I found the artist to be right you know
within reason I absolutely agree with
that I agree with that because I'm often
in the same situation where I think I
have a really good idea and I might get
a you know a little bit of pushback from
the artists or maybe they may have an
opposing idea they want to eat a little
bit
I think that's just like our creative
um engine going but uh when we make
these adjustments we notice that it
actually does benefit the project and I
think letting outside eyes in that are
so attached to the project as well can
be very beneficial so I'd agree with
that all right up next from Hype
Williams lighting helped me understand
how I want to express myself the more I
worked on it the more I realized I could
control everything about what I was
doing with color absolutely lighting uh
can impact video more than we realize it
can give so much uh feeling and texture
that we we would never think of you know
and then one more for you from Spike
Jones I love when me and my friends
don't know how to make something there's
that risk of failure if it's guaranteed
not to fail it's something you already
know how to do
you finished on a good one it's the best
one I'd say
everything I do is uh going into things
um not knowing how it's gonna turn out
and kind of shooting in the dark and
hoping for the best and I think that
that pushes us uh
you know and it pushed our creative
boundaries to levels that can make us
excel in in many ways
foreign
[Music]
starting to feel like a champ yeah you
look like a champ champ I feel like I
can't be phased
someone illumination entertainment
approached you to make a trailer for
minions the rise of Gru what in the
world was the process like for getting
Executives on the level of universal to
sign off on an artist like Yeet for the
project it's quite the cultural win ah
man it was quite the experience and a
roller coaster to say the least but
yeah so I had a few different artists
lined up that were more PG and made more
sense for this project and then I
remember we were on a zoom something
just downed over me I was like ye is the
guy for this and I told him I was like
look
I have something to throw at you
it's not what you're expecting
um you know all of his music is you know
centered around things that probably
aren't fitting for this movie but
I want to bring in this artist and have
him make a song specific to the movie
and I think could be a really just big
moment um for the underground for the
internet and just for the movie as a
whole I think it's like the perfect
storm and it's unexpected and I think it
just shakes things up
and I pitch it to him
and I got man I really don't know like
this is a big movie two days later they
had reached back and they're like you
know he thought about it and we talked
to people we think it's genius and uh I
am happy with how it went and it was
really cool to see a trend kick off
around this song In This Moment that
actually motivated people going to the
theaters because what more could you ask
for so illumination and Universal we're
very happy with that for sure
thank you
okay cool
thank you
[Music]
going in you know I haven't eaten well I
had pretzels and some butter
a little half stick of butter
a girl told me it would coat my stomach
well so did that but um it's like my
lunch is pretty good so far smacking
yeah
getting a little glossy yeah listen
you're you're walking me on this uh on
this journey here you know quite
confident I'm just along for the ride
Cole you're making me feel good about
myself
so lyrical lemonade is a curator and
constantly has its fingers on the pulse
of the artists that are about to blow
I'm curious if you can articulate how
you sift through the legions of Internet
rappers who to the untrained eye to the
untrained ear may seem homogeneous
I do what I'm Into You know I think
there's been really really beautiful
opportunities I've passed up on because
it just didn't align with you know
my morals and what I kind of thought the
business model of lyric lemonade was and
it just wasn't what I was listening to
and I think that there's times where
I've taken a chance on artists that you
know people would argue I shouldn't
because I was into it you know and I
think
I think it's just it all comes from a
place of just doing what I love and and
uh attacking it that way and that's kind
of like my mode and my approach to
everything I do if I'm into it I do it
if not then then I'm okay on it you know
[Music]
yeah it looks like a Shirley Temple in a
bottle
like like a cherry cream soda
see if it tastes like a cherry cream
soda it looks like it might
call me every crane segment on our show
called explain that grammar to a deep
dive in our guest Instagram pull
interesting pictures that need more
context and for you we have a theme Cole
Bennett behind the scenes all of the
pictures are of you on set and I'm
curious maybe you have a lasting memory
from that shoot or what it was like to
work with that artist and we'll begin
with the ensemble cast for your Godzilla
video for Eminem side note an MTV video
of the Year Award nominee this video is
like no other you know it's one of those
things like throwing up being a fan of
hip-hop music music videos and just pop
culture I mean I remember Eminem as
being the biggest thing in the world
so to get to work with them so closely
and feel that energy and feel him be so
ready to just log in all these hours and
be so receptive to my ideas and my
vision for things to you know a song
that he had created was really really
cool and um this photo was actually in
the hospital room Mike Tyson was um off
shrooms he offered me some shrooms which
you know was a was a bucket list moment
for sure but you know being on set and
leading this Vision was was also a
luckily moment so I had to pick my uh my
poison there didn't do the shrooms but
uh he was a great time Dr Dre was uh
it's a really cool dude
um before he left he's like I really
like how you uh LED today and how you um
you know directed this Vision how you
operate on set and grab my shoulder and
you like nodded his head and she looked
at me for like 20 seconds and then you
know grab my shoulder pretty tight and
then just walked off and it was uh it
was a moment for sure I'll never forget
it
then this one finally from the set of
your video for Justin Bieber is honest
yeah Justin is one of my closest friends
and uh actually it's a fine story too
the AC and his trailer went out this day
and uh he had sent me a song a week
prior I saw the whole like I feel funny
yeah
um video came about and I was like yeah
let's just let's just shoot that while
we wait for the AC to be fixed and we
get everything ready to go on set and we
just you know it was the kind of example
of turning
um
you know a negative into a positive
lemons into lemonade maybe yeah we are
drink some lemonade there we go
[Music]
I like the uh design on this one it's
busy a lot of text I like text Centric
designs well it's a big compliment from
you
we're doing the thing
[Music]
oh yeah
that's one of them ones huh
goodness
question for you real quick of course of
course oh my gosh
the DJ Khaled huh yeah yeah hilarious
yeah classic classic I actually don't
even have a question I just want to
point that out put the hinges in the
[ __ ] boy's hands drop them in drop them
in so quote of yours that really
resonates with me comes from a 2018
interview that you did with complex
where you said eventually I'll be old
and not in tune with things I'm going to
be an old dude who people aren't going
to look to for new music does that kind
of perspective does that make you more
terrified about the future or is it
actually kind of comforting
I think it's comforting
we just need to be honest with ourselves
and uh
I think that you know you can only have
your hand on
the pulse of something finger on post
finger on the post finger on the post
something for so long and um
you know I plan to graduate from this
and get into other things and have new
passions and
you know explore new worlds and be the
taste maker within that and I'll always
be within the space of music but I also
have to understand that there's going to
be
people that come after me and uh you
know I want to inspire those generations
and give give them the tools to be able
to do what I did and you know just like
the people before me did for me and uh
that's the whole name of the game I
think people that try to hold on to
something for too long
you get a little burnt out so y'all be
honest with yourself and you gotta be
honest with just how the game works
Karma sauce
I don't know how I feel about that
yeah
we're in that part of the show yeah
we're getting there
but still going back in
one bad guy
so when my ulterior motives and booking
this interview is to ensure that I get a
tour of lyrical lemonade H2 next time
I'm home in Chicago what's the holiest
of holy Grails on display in your
Nostalgia room uh
so the Nostalgia room is a room that I
built
um
that is like a place that anyone in the
office can escape to and relax a little
bit get their mind off things look
around and
laughs
have that nostalgic feeling which I
think is a feeling that brings us joy
and creativity and calmness
some of my favorite things in there in
that room would be um
Simpson stuff got a like an old Tupac
toy uh Eminem toys
I keep them all in the package
to just you know go and look at the
dates that they released and I love um
oh my goodness man I know I know
yeah I don't know I like I like a lot of
stuff in that room what's the most
talent that you've ever had on the court
at one time and the custom basketball
court at lyrical lemonade HQ oh man you
can imagine what
Jack Harlow versus maxo cream looks like
that's my favorite moment and then you
once said I'll never understand why
people have a problem with Birkenstocks
can you detail what it is about Berks
that makes it the perfect shoe for you
man
I want her to
quote about stuff I said if you're
comfortable
they're stylish I like being comfortable
therefore I'm stylish
that's why I wear Birkenstock
wow I heard this next one's really bad
well what you heard is true
call I'm not gonna lie to you
this is the bomb Beyond insanity
we're just going that's it you know I'm
just I'm on your schedule here
[Music]
let me just take a small bite out yeah
me too
that's all it takes
well not that small type
I didn't mean for it to be that big
you know what yeah I'm going for another
bite whoa you have to too I'm going with
you though
oh goodness
all right
respect
I'm gonna do it I gotta do it probably
yeah you got him we're in it we're in it
oh I know it might have been a mistake
but you know what we're here you know
all right
so there's a video on maxpreps.com
showing off your highlights as a running
back for the Plano High Reapers what
would you say is the crowning
achievement of your Friday Night Lights
career was it beating sandwich High
Indians 36 to 7 in the 2013 ihsa
playoffs you're crazy
man
can't pop open that mode yeah yeah can I
do it I'll do it yeah go ahead it's all
you and then just be careful you know
sometimes when people drink too much
milk
that becomes like the worst problem in
the hot sauce you know yeah maybe
and then your hometown of Plano stood in
for Smallville Kansas and the superhero
movie Man of Steel yeah do you have any
memories of the last son of krypton's
takeover of downtown
yeah I do remember that it was crazy it
took over downtown Plano
like fake decals on them
the windows all the Smallville themed
stuff did a casting call so all my
friends and I would try to get in the
movie
got to send a headshots
do little interviews and such
and uh
the big moment I remember that
how you doing
I'm struggling
I love to hear that
um it's a shared pain that we're going
through because I'm hurting right now I
know I know
pucker butt yeah I don't know how if I
like how that sounds
let's see what we got we got it got this
[Music]
still going in
I gotta catch up
I thought I didn't get a good nibble
that first time
can you draw back the curtain on what
it's like to have dinner at Diddy's
house like can you paint the picture for
me in my brain yeah so
he facetimes me
one night
and uh he's like pitching a few ideas
things we could work on I was thrilled
of course
I was waiting for that moment you know
to get the Diddy coats on and uh
he's like when are you in La next and I
was like I'm actually in LA right now
but I go back to Chicago tomorrow
and uh he was like look man I want to
put the puffy brush on you but
why don't you stay another day and do
dinner
forgot what we ate
it was good though I was some sort of
chicken and uh
saved me a lot of music
talked a lot of ideas gave me a lot of
game just spoke on a lot of history
oh my goodness he called me the uh
looked at me
he laughed
[Music]
I said man he said you're like the white
puff oh [ __ ]
so yeah I
appreciate puff more than I can express
all right Cole Bennett
[Music]
okay we made it this far might as well
top it off there we go yeah
the bomb the bomb actually it was here
and it like worked it works its way up
your face like right now it's in my nose
right but like I feel it in my skin
working up my face it's crazy
how would you put on I went a little
crazy trying not to do this much but
it's hard to tell you know sometimes I
want to match your energy I said if I'm
gonna do it I'm gonna do it proper you
do it proper all the time I gotta back
up Salute
I'm not gonna the bomb I almost took me
out yeah we're still here we're still
that's good that's good that's good
that's good
[Music]
you gotta you go figure yeah
[Music]
maybe that's like
cheers Cole
cheers
I know
[Music]
yeah
can you tell me about that I mean you're
looking at me like it's my fault but I
feel like you wanted to take another
bite at the bomb you're like you got a
match you know I feel like I should give
you that look actually I'm not gonna lie
I felt way worse like immediately after
the bite yep
but it's not as bad as you think it
settles in hopefully it's not an eye of
the storm situation you know where it
comes back and builds but don't worry
because there's a nice long lead on this
question foreshadowing that
[Laughter]
we've reached the end of our journey
through the hot ones Gauntlet and to
close things out we're basically gonna
squeeze whatever energy you have left
while that brain soaks in hot sauce and
we can call this an unofficial list but
I am curious the cold Bennett Mount
Rushmore of Chicago rap music videos the
four most iconic Chicago rap music
videos of all time in your opinion
it's a great question
um
don't like
it could be don't like or love Sosa you
go either way this is Twisted video
Overnight Celebrity this video with
Chance the Rapper it's called family and
then uh for the fourth
We're Going Through the Wire all right
set it in stone call Bennett's Mount
Rushmore of Chicago rap music videos and
look at you walked in not a hot sauce
guy you said you'd be horrible out here
but here you are taking extra bites to
the bomb and drenching the last wing and
the last dab now there's nothing left to
do but roll out the red carpet for you
this camera this camera this camera let
the people know what you have going on
in your life I'm just I'm just enjoying
myself I'm really happy I'm feeling
creative
working on a few things a lot of amazing
projects
I'm not even going to speak on because I
don't want to sound like unplugging
anything just know it's coming
it's gonna be powerful impactful
and uh yeah I'm excited life is good
thank you so much
[Applause]
[Music]
so cool and chat with you here man oh
thank you man
what was uh what was your favorite sauce
a great time
it's like
he's so much no problem oh yeah give me
a good one
hey what's going on hot ones fans this
is Sean Evans checking in with three of
my best friends then the number one spot
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