[HOST] We live in a visual era and there aren’t many directors today with the scope, reach
and impact of Cole Bennett.
[HOST] The 23 year old videographer is the mind behind Lyrical Lemonade - a one stop
shop for music videos...concerts...clothes and, yes, actual lemonade.
[THREE] It’s pretty good tho.
I would drink this if it wasn’t Lyrical Lemonade. Like, it's pretty good.
There’s a lot of sugar in this bro.
[HOST] And the name actually came from his mother.
COLE: She just said it.
I remember I was just like...just talking to her about it she was like what about the
name ‘Lyrical Lemonade’ and I was like...
[HOST] Cole started Lyrical Lemonade in high school first as a blog to cover Chicago’s
hip-hop scene.
COLE:I met with a web designer and I showed him this piece of paper that I drew out in
study hall and he was like, ‘let’s make it happen’
[HOST] Born in Plano, Illinois, Cole regularly trekked more than an hour up to Chicago every
weekend to cover the latest in the Windy City.
COLE: This is Cole Bennett of Lyrical Lemonade and this is Chicago’s biggest cipher ever.
COLE: It’s really just being in a city where there is a lot of hungry people that want
to do something special but in that underground scene a few years ago, just no one had the
tools to do so.
[HOST] Cole sat with Genius for an exclusive interview to talk about how his craft follows
in a long line of Windy City directors.
COLE: Austin Vesely, A Zae production and DGainz, was like the first music video directors
that I too notice to and that was all Chicago.
[HOST] Austin Vesely, known for his work with Chance the Rapper, and A Zae Productions and
DGainz, known for their videos with Chief Keef, Lil Bibby and others, were at the forefront
of Chicago’s music video scene in the mid 2010s.
[HOST] Cole’s early work followed in the run and gun style of Chicago drill but for
his now trademark line animation style, he drew inspiration from the late Mac Miller’s
“America,” directed by Mike Waxx & Mike Carson.
COLE: I remember watching that video and seeing the animations on that video and was thinking
like, I wish one day I could do something like that.
[HOST] He was able to work with Miller on Carnage’s “Learn How To Watch.”
[HOST] Bennett uses effects to draw people in.
COLE: One thing I always try to incorporate is fun colors and just aspects that would
really catch the eye.
That’s what people want to see.
[HOST] Ironically, his early line animation work for Soulja Boy led him to one of
his earliest breakthroughs with Chicago’s Famous Dex.
COLE: I did one of Lako’s videos for Soulja Boy and it had like the animation in it and
everything and Dex saw it and he was like we gotta work.
[HOST] Which led to “Hit Em With It.”
[HOST] The success of “Hit Em With It” led to other big hits showcasing his effects
like Warhol.ss’ “Speed Racer”...
[HOST] ...Smokepurrp’s “Ski Mask”...
[HOST] ...and in early 2017, Lil Pump’s “D. Rose.”
[HOST] Lil Pump is an early example of how Lyrical Lemonade’s YouTube page contributes
to the rise of artists.
[HOST] For instance, Genius data shows that in the three months prior to “D. Rose,”
Pump averaged 275 page views per day.
In the 3 months that followed it shot up to nearly 2 thousand per day.
[HOST] This growth after a Cole Bennett video shows up time and time again.
[HOST] With Lil Xan and his Cole Bennett directed hit, “Betrayed,” his daily page
views rose from 227 page views to nearly 10 thousand...
[HOST] Recently Lil Tecca, who, after Cole Bennet’s “Ransom” clip, went from averaging
900 page views per day to 11 thousand and a Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit.
[HOST] The same goes for Lil Skies, Ski Mask the Slump God and countless others who’ve
enlisted a Cole Bennett music video.
It’s become a must for any artist on the rise.
[HOST] But Cole tells Genius that things need to align for it all to work.
COLE: COLE: It just needs to feel right.
If they’re serious about it, if I can tell that they take it serious and that they’re
passionate about it then it makes me want to believe it and be passionate about it.
[HOST] This was similar to when Bennett was working with YNW Melly and another Chicago
inspiration of his, Kanye West on “Mixed Personalities.”
[HOST] He told Genius that this video helped push him out of his comfort zone.
COLE: Working for Kanye was cool because it kinda put me in a situation where I needed
to kind of cater to someone and make it perfect for them.
[HOST] The impact of his music videos combined with his concerts and more have made Cole
one of today’s most sought after video directors.
[HOST] And it’s clear that he is happy for his success and excited for the work that
lies ahead.
COLE:Things like that aren’t handed to people who aren’t meant to appreciate them.
Really, it’s handed to people who work to get to that point and appreciate that moment
for what it truly is.
[HOST] I’m Jacques Morel with Genius News, bringing you the meaning and the knowledge
behind the music.
Peace!