Cole Bennett (born May 14, 1996) is an American

music video director A music video director is the head, overseer or facilitator of music video production. The director conceives of videos' artistic and dramatic aspects while instructing the musical act, technical crew, actors, models, and dancers. They may or ...

and record executive. He is the founder of Lyrical Lemonade. He has most notably collaborated with

Juice Wrld Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice Wrld (pronounced "juice world"; stylized as Juice WRLD), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He emerged as a leading figure in the emo rap ...

on music videos such as " All Girls Are the Same", " Lucid Dreams", "

Robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...

", "

Bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, e ...

", " Armed and Dangerous" and " Tell Me U Luv Me". Also, he has directed music videos such as YG Marley's " Praise Jah in the Moonlight", Lil Yachty's "

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

", Lil Tecca's "

Ransom Ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release. It also refers to the sum of money paid by the other party to secure a captive's freedom. When ransom means "payment", the word ...

", Internet Money's "

Lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored drink. There are many varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In some parts of the world, lemonade refers to an un-carbonated, traditionally, homemade drink, using lemon juice, water, and a sw ...

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

's "

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

", "

Gnat GNAT is a free-software compiler for the Ada programming language which forms part of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC). It supports all versions of the language, i.e. Ada 2012, Ada 2005, Ada 95 and Ada 83. Originally its ...

" and " Tobey",

JID Destin Choice Route (born October 31, 1990), better known by his stage name JID (also stylized J.I.D), is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Atlanta, he signed with J. Cole's Dreamville Records, an imprint of Interscop ...

's "

Off Deez "Off Deez" is a song by American rappers JID and J. Cole. It was released on November 6, 2018, released as the second single for JID's album ''DiCaprio 2''. The song is produced by ChaseTheMoney and Dro Fe. It also includes vocals from DJ Drama, ...

Jack Harlow Jackman Thomas Harlow (born March 13, 1998) is an American rapper and singer. He began his recording career in 2015, and released several EPs and mixtapes until signing with Don Cannon and DJ Drama's record label Generation Now, an imprint of A ...

's " Whats Poppin",

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor. Raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he signed with the local independent label Rostrum Records to re ...

's " Fr Fr", YNW Melly's " Mixed Personalities" featuring

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

, Jennie's " ExtraL", and many others. In 2024, he released the album '' All Is Yellow'', through Lyrical Lemonade and

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

Early life

Cole Bennett was born on May 14, 1996, in

Plano, Illinois Plano is a city near Aurora in Kendall County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 11,847 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, being about 55 miles (90 km) from Chicago. The city was home to the Pla ...

. He went to Plano High School and he dropped out of

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...

to focus on his career in

videography Videography involves capturing moving images on electronic media (such as: videotape, direct to disk recording, or solid state storage), and can include streaming media. It encompasses both video production and post-production methods. Historic ...

and

hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

, which he had been interested in since childhood.

Career

2013–2016: Early career

Bennett originally founded Lyrical Lemonade as an internet blog when he was a high school student in Plano, Illinois. His mother helped him come up with the blog's name and had given him a video camera. He began directing music videos for local Chicago rappers, such as

Vic Mensa Victor Kwesi Mensah (born June 6, 1993), known professionally as Vic Mensa, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, he was a member of the regional hip hop groups Kids These Days (band), Kids These Days and Savemoney prior to releasing ...

, Taylor Bennett (no relation), King Louie, and Ridgio, all of which he uploaded onto the Lyrical Lemonade channel. His channel also featured live show recaps, cyphers, documentaries and interviews.

2016–2023: Rise to popularity and numerous music videos

The channel then expanded into other sub-genres of hip hop beyond the local Chicago scene, such as the emerging Soundcloud rap sub-genre. In 2016 and early 2017, he gained early recognition, working with artists such as Famous Dex, Lil Pump, Smokepurpp, and Ski Mask the Slump God. On April 7, 2017, he released his first short film, "Lone Springs". In August 2017, he directed the music video for the Lil Xan single, " Betrayed", which was certified Platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

in 2018. He later directed numerous music videos for hit songs, which include Ski Mask the Slump God's " BabyWipe", Lil Skies' " Red Roses" and " Nowadays", and YBN Nahmir's " Bounce Out with That". In May 2018, he directed the music video for Chicago rapper

's " Lucid Dreams", which peaked at number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. As of August 2024, the video has surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube, becoming his most popular video on the channel. He has since worked with mainstream figures in hip hop such as J. Cole,

, and

. In January 2020, he directed the music video for Kentucky rapper

's breakout single " What's Poppin". In March 2020, he directed the music video for Eminem's hit single "

". The video itself features cameos from Dr. Dre,

and

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...

. It gained 13 million views in 24 hours. In December 2020, in his second collaboration with Eminem, Bennett directed the music video for the rapper's single "

2023–present: ''All Is Yellow''

In 2023, Bennett began releasing tracks from his debut studio album, titled '' All Is Yellow'' (2024). The lead single from the album, " Doomsday", with Juice Wrld and

Cordae Cordae Amari Brooks ( Dunston; born August 26, 1997), known mononymously as Cordae (formerly YBN Cordae and Entendre), is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of the hip hop collective YBN (collective), YBN. His 2019 debut studio ...

, was released on June 23, 2023 and reached number 58 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, 49 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...

, 83 on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...

, and 92 on the UK Singles Chart. The album's second single, "Guitar in My Room", with

Lil Durk Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper. Regarded as a pioneering artist in the Chicago-based hip-hop subgenre drill music, he is often considered the subgenre's most commercially suc ...

and

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ; formerly stylized as KiD CuDi), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Clevelan ...

, was released on September 29. The third single, "Hello There", with Corbin, Lil Tracy and Black Kray, was released on October 20. The album's fourth single, " Stop Giving Me Advice", with Dave and Jack Harlow, was released on December 8 and charted at number 33 on the Irish Singles Chart, and 29 on the UK Singles Chart. The fifth and final single, "Fallout", with Gus Dapperton, Lil Yachty and Joey Badass, was released on January 12, 2024. ''All Is Yellow'' was released on January 26, 2024. The tracklist was revealed on January 13, 2024.

Impact

Bennett's Lyrical Lemonade frequently promotes and contributes to the rise of upcoming rappers. Examples of this include Lil Pump, whose appearance on Lyrical Lemonade elevated his popularity to a certain extent. Other examples include Pump's friend and frequent collaborator Smokepurpp,

, Ski Mask the Slump God, YNW Melly, Lil Tecca, NLE Choppa, Lil Mosey,

The Kid Laroi Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard (born 17 August 2003), known professionally as the Kid Laroi (stylized as The Kid LAROI), is an Australian rapper, singer and songwriter. He was first discovered by Triple J Unearthed in 2016 at the age of 13. As ...

Yeat Noah Olivier Smith (born February 26, 2000), known professionally as Yeat (occasionally stylized as YEAT ), is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his experimental sound—most notably the rage sound, u ...

, Trippie Redd, and

. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' named Ski Mask the Slump God's 2017 " Catch Me Outside" music video, which was directed by Bennett, one of their favorite music videos of the 2010s.

Other ventures

Bennett has also ventured into creating merchandise and

lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored drink. There are many varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In some parts of the world, lemonade refers to an un-carbonated, traditionally, homemade drink, using lemon juice, water, and a sw ...

beverages under the Lyrical Lemonade name. He said, "I really want to compete with

Minute Maid Minute Maid is an American brand of drink, beverages, usually associated with lemonade or orange juice, but which now extends to soft drinks of different kinds, including Hi-C. Minute Maid is sold under the Cappy (juice), Cappy brand in Central E ...

and all of the elite lemonade and juice companies and I really think we can do that." In February 2020, Lyrical Lemonade collaborated with Jordan Brand. The collection included an Aerospace 720 shoe, a hooded sweatshirt, and a long sleeve t-shirt. In April 2020, Lyrical Lemonade collaborated with streetwear brand FTP. The collection included a hooded sweatshirt, a t-shirt, and co-branded cans of lemonade. In November 2021, Cole Bennett launched another virtual retail space called "By Cole Bennett." Here, individuals are able to buy clothing and other soft goods that are designed by Bennett himself and are subject to limited releases. On the same virtual store front, Bennett occasionally allows fans to purchase props previously used in Lyrical Lemonade videos. Bennett hosts a music festival called Summer Smash every year. It is presented by independent Chicago-based event production label SPKRBX.

Lyrical Lemonade discography

Studio albums

Singles

Other charted songs

Accolades

Selected videography

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Cole American music video directors 1996 births Living people People from Plano, Illinois