Alana Yzola: Tierra Whack is quickly becoming
one of the brightest new stars in hip-hop.
She's gotten cosigns from hip-hop juggernauts like Meek Mill
and appeared on Beyoncé's "The Gift" album.
But what really makes Tierra Whack one of a kind
is her video style.
The MC dropped her visual album, "Whack World,"
with undeniable success.
With that album, she released 15
wildly creative music videos.
Tierra Whack: The most fun video to shoot was definitely...
...
so many, 15, ah....
Yzola: Each video comes with a host of references
and eye-popping visuals
that match her fresh take on hip-hop.
In addition to her lyricism and rapid-fire flow,
here's why her groundbreaking video style
is making her an artist to watch.
Tierra Whack first appeared on the scene at age 15
when she did an impromptu freestyle
for one of Philly's underground rap collectives.
Whack: When I started freestyling in Philly,
I was really young,
and that was just, like, something to do;
everybody was doing it.
And it kinda, like, helped me to get my buzz,
you know, in the streets and everything.
Yzola: The video of her rapping got posted online
and racked up tens of thousands of views overnight.
From there, she started showcasing her talents
on local radio stations,
freestyling for the likes of Meek Mill and A$AP Rocky,
who compared her flow to Kendrick Lamar's.
Whack: Eventually, I was like, you know what?
I think I really wanna take this rap stuff serious.
So, I started getting into the studio,
just really trying to, like, write hooks.
Yzola: She recorded her first hit single, "Mumbo Jumbo,"
in 2017 the day after getting her teeth pulled.
Because of her loopy state at the time,
the lyrics sound like total gibberish.
♪ All d--- night ♪
♪ Been awake ♪
♪ Aw yeah ♪
♪ No ♪
Yzola: In other words, it's an extreme
and catchy take on mumble rap.
But it was "Mumbo Jumbo's" dentist-office-themed video
that really made the song go viral,
turning Solange into a fan.
She also earned praise from Kevin Abstract.
Abstract called "Mumbo Jumbo" the best music video
he'd seen all year.
But "Mumbo Jumbo" was only the beginning.
Tierra took her video game to a whole new level
with her debut album, "Whack World."
The project contains 15 tracks,
each clocking in at 60 seconds
and accompanied by its own video.
Each one of the video's concepts is distinct from the next.
Yet, the whole thing flows from beginning to end
like a short film, seamlessly taking us through
the weird and captivating world
of Tierra Whack's mind.
To bring her vision to life, Tierra enlisted the help
of Thibaut Duverneix and his team
at Gentilhomme studio in Montreal.
Thibaut Duverneix: If I could categorize
the style of "Whack World,"
I would say it's made for people
who have a very short attention span,
and it's like a candy.
Yzola: The project was first released on Instagram,
and it made clever use of the platform's
three-column grid design.
Whack: I wrote all the songs in 60 seconds.
We made the beat, and I was writing to the beat
while the beat was getting made.
We had the idea, like, solidified.
Yzola: But shooting 15 one-minute videos,
each with its own set, concept, and special effects,
all in two days was no small undertaking.
Duverneix: We thought it was a great idea but
also an amazing challenge.
It meant, like, literally creating 15 little films
that would eventually live together on the platform.
But we also wanted to make it, like, a 15-minute,
standalone movie that we could release on the internet.
Yzola: One reason why Whack's projects
feel more like mini films than music videos
is because they take inspiration
from her favorite movie genre: horror.
Tierra had already showed off her appreciation
for dark humor in early videos, like "Mumbo Jumbo."
And Duverneix helped her incorporate those themes
into "Whack World."
Like in her video for "Bugs Life,"
when Tierra pulls back her hoodie
to reveal a grotesque, half-swollen face.
Whack: I do not like summertime because
that's when the bugs come out,
and I'm allergic to bug bites.
Duverneix: So I was like, let's make your face swollen
like you had, like, a crazy allergic reaction.
Whack: All my life I had to fight.
What did you do to my face?
But then, also, "A Bug's Life"
is one of my favorite movies.
Like, so classic. Like, favorite ever.
Yzola: Horror motifs is something you'll see a lot of
in the visuals for "Whack World."
The surprisingly upbeat song "Pet Cemetery"
references both the terrifying Stephen King novel
and the kids' animated film "All Dogs Go to Heaven."
♪ All dogs go to heaven ♪
♪ Heaven ♪
Yzola: The tombstone is also a nod
to the comedy-horror series "Being Human."
Sally Malik is a ghost on the show
whose character also died in 2010.
The video captures the play between light and dark,
showing Tierra hanging out with
giant, Muppet-like creatures in a graveyard
while singing about death and mourning.
There's a lot of childhood nostalgia in "Whack World."
"Dr. Seuss" draws inspiration from "Alice in Wonderland."
"Fruit Salad" is based on the song by The Wiggles.
And the video concept for "Hungry Hippo"
is an irreverent play on the classic Hasbro kids' game
Hungry Hungry Hippos, right down to the color coding.
Whack: The most fun video to shoot was definitely...
...
so many, 15, ah...
"Fruit Salad."
♪ I did, I did ♪
♪ I eat all my vegetables ♪
Yeah.
Yzola: In the final video for "Whack World," "Waze,"
Tierra sits in a room as it fills up with soapy suds.
Whack: Out of all my music videos, the most challenging
was definitely "Waze."
"Waze" was crazy.
I had to, like, sit in the same, like, stance for, like,
it was so long, and I couldn't breathe.
The bubbles smelled like bleach.
Duverneix: She had to hold still,
not coughing and, like, not crying.
Also, what's funny is, like,
in the track, you can hear her coughing.
(coughing) ♪ One, two, three ♪
Duverneix: But she couldn't cough on set.
Yzola: Tierra's vision puts her next in line
in a series of true hip-hop originals.
She cites the original music-video queen, Missy Elliot,
amongst her biggest artistic influences,
along with other hip-hop vanguards,
like Busta Rhymes and Kanye West.
She also named OutKast her favorite rap duo
and has referred to André 3000 as her "father."
From inspiration to execution,
Whack has earned some serious accolades,
especially after "Whack World."
She got a best music video nod at the Grammys
for her visuals to "Mumbo Jumbo."
And now she's fresh off landing a coveted spot
in the XXL Freshman Class.
Pitchfork put "Whack World" at No. 9
on their list of the 50 best albums of 2018,
and Billboard put it on their critic's picks list
of the 100 greatest music videos in the 21st century.
All right. So, guys, what did you think of "Whack World?"
And which tracks would you like to see some visuals for?
Let us know in the comments below.