| Cole Bennett | |||||||||||||
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 Bennett in 2021 | |||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | May 14, 1996 Plano, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Occupations |
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| Website | lyricallemonade | ||||||||||||
| YouTube information | |||||||||||||
| Years active | 2013–present | ||||||||||||
| Subscribers | 21.9 million (April 2024) | ||||||||||||
| Total views | 11.2 billion (April 2024) | ||||||||||||
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Cole Bennett (born May 14, 1996) is an American music video director and record executive. [1] He is also the founder of Lyrical Lemonade.
Cole Bennett was born on May 14, 1996, in Plano, Illinois. He went to Plano High School and he dropped out of DePaul University to focus on his career in videography and hip hop music, things he had been interested in since childhood. [2]
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, Taylor Bennett (no relation), King Louie, [3] and Ridgio, [4] [5] all of which he uploaded onto the Lyrical Lemonade channel. [6] [7] His channel also featured live show recaps, cyphers, documentaries and interviews. [8]
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 in 2018. [9] 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 Juice Wrld's "Lucid Dreams", which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. [10] [11] 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, [12] Wiz Khalifa, [13] Kanye West, [14] and Eminem. [15]
In January 2020, he directed the music video for Kentucky rapper Jack Harlow's breakout single "What's Poppin". In March 2020, he directed the music video for Eminem's hit single "Godzilla". [16] The video itself features cameos from Dr. Dre and Mike Tyson. [17] It gained 13 million views in 24 hours. [18] In December 2020, in his second collaboration with Eminem, Bennett directed the music video for the rapper's single "Gnat". [19]
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, was released on June 23, 2023 and reached number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100, 49 on the Canadian Hot 100, 83 on the Irish Singles Chart, and 92 on the UK Singles Chart. The album's second single, "Guitar in My Room", with Lil Durk and Kid Cudi, 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. [20] The album features guest appearances from Sheck Wes, Ski Mask the Slump God, JID, Lil Durk, Kid Cudi, Chief Keef, Lil Yachty, Lil Tecca, Lil Skies, The Kid Laroi, Teezo Touchdown, Juicy J, Cochise, Denzel Curry, Lil B, Latto, Swae Lee, Aminé, Snot, 6 Dogs, Juice Wrld, Cordae, Eminem, Gus Dapperton, Joey Badass, BabyTron, G Herbo, Corbin, Lil Tracy, Black Kray, Umi, SahBabii, Jack Harlow, and Dave.
Bennett's Lyrical Lemonade frequently promotes and contributes to the rise of upcoming rappers. [21] Examples of this include Lil Pump, whose appearance on Lyrical Lemonade elevated his popularity to a certain extent. [22] Other examples include Pump's friend and frequent collaborator Smokepurpp, Juice Wrld, Ski Mask the Slump God, YNW Melly, Lil Tecca, NLE Choppa, Lil Mosey, The Kid Laroi, Yeat, Trippie Redd, and Jack Harlow. [23]
Pitchfork 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. [24]
Bennett has also ventured into creating merchandise and lemonade beverages under the Lyrical Lemonade name. He said, "I really want to compete with Minute Maid and all of the elite lemonade and juice companies and I really think we can do that." [25]
In February 2020, Lyrical Lemonade collaborated with Jordan Brand. [26] The collection included an Aerospace 720 shoe, a hooded sweatshirt, and a long sleeve t-shirt. [27] 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. [28] [ better source needed ]
In November 2021, Cole Bennett launched another virtual retail space called "By Cole Bennett." [29] 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. [30]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [31] | US R&B/HH [32] | AUS [33] | CAN [34] | NZ [35] | ||
| All Is Yellow | 43 | 16 | 86 | 51 | 23 | |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [36] | US R&B/HH [37] | CAN [38] | IRE [39] | NZ Hot [40] | UK [41] | |||
| "Doomsday" (with Juice Wrld and Cordae) | 2023 | 58 | 19 | 49 | 83 | 3 | 92 | All Is Yellow |
| "Guitar in My Room" (with Kid Cudi and Lil Durk) | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Hello There" (with Corbin and Lil Tracy featuring Black Kray) | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Stop Giving Me Advice" (with Dave featuring Jack Harlow) | — | — | — | 33 | 7 | 29 | ||
| "Fallout" (with Gus Dapperton featuring Lil Yachty and Joey Badass) | 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Bub. [42] | US R&B/HH [43] | NZ Hot [40] | |||
| "Fly Away" (with JID, Sheck Wes, and Ski Mask the Slump God) | 2024 | — | — | 34 | All Is Yellow |
| "Say Ya Grace" (with Chief Keef and Lil Yachty) | — | — | 32 | ||
| "This My Life" (with Lil Tecca featuring the Kid Laroi and Lil Skies) | 19 | 49 | 20 | ||
| "Doomsday Pt. 2" (with Eminem) | — | — | 16 | ||
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BET Awards | 2020 | Video Director of the Year | Himself | Nominated | [44] |
| 2021 | Nominated | [45] | |||
| 2023 | Nominated | [46] | |||
| 2024 | Won | [47] | |||
| BET Hip Hop Awards | 2020 | Video Director of the Year | Himself | Nominated | [48] |
| 2021 | Nominated | [49] | |||
| 2022 | Nominated | [50] | |||
| 2023 | Nominated | [51] | |||
| 2024 | Nominated | [52] | |||
| Streamy Awards | 2019 | Directing | Lyrical Lemonade | Nominated | [53] |
| 2020 | Cinematography | Nominated | [54] | ||
| 2022 | Won | [55] | |||
| 2023 | Nominated | [56] |
 |
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Juice Wrld: Into the Abyss | Himself | [59] |
David "D.A."Doman, known professionally as D.A. Got That Dope, is an American record producer from Chicago, Illinois. He began his career in the mid-2000s working with Chicago-baseed underground artists such as Bump J, Mikkey Halsted, and Kidz in the Hall. He handled drum programming for record producer J. R. Rotem for several years by 2011, after which he moved to Los Angeles to further pursue work in the music industry.
Jarad Anthony Higgins, known professionally as Juice Wrld, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He emerged as a leading figure in the emo and SoundCloud rap genres, which garnered mainstream attention during the mid-to-late 2010s. His stage name, which he said represents "taking over the world", was derived from the crime thriller film Juice (1992).
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"Lucid Dreams" (formerly "Lucid Dreams (Forget Me)") is a song by American rapper Juice Wrld. It was officially released by Grade A Productions and Interscope Records on May 4, 2018, after previously being released on SoundCloud in June 2017. The song was produced by Nick Mira and debuted at number 74 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 2 on the chart. The song has over 2.6 billion streams on Spotify, being one of the most-streamed songs on the platform. As of August 2024, the music video has over one billion views on YouTube. In February 2022, the song was certified Diamond by RIAA for selling over 11 million units in the U.S.
Stokeley Clevon Goulbourne, known professionally as Ski Mask the Slump God, is an American rapper. He is best known for his association with XXXTentacion, with whom he formed the hip hop collective Members Only in 2014. He is notable for his nostalgic-themed musical production and public image, often clad with multi-colored durags. He signed with Victor Victor Worldwide, an imprint of Republic Records to release his debut commercial mixtape You Will Regret (2017), which entered the Billboard 200 and spawned the platinum-certified singles "BabyWipe", "Take a Step Back", and "Catch Me Outside".
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Tyler-Justin Anthony Sharpe, known professionally as Lil Tecca, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. He rose to mainstream fame with the release of his 2019 single "Ransom", which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The song preceded the release of his debut mixtape We Love You Tecca (2019), which peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and contained the follow-up singles "Love Me" and "Did It Again". His debut studio album, Virgo World (2020) peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200, while his second and third albums, We Love You Tecca 2 (2021) and Tec (2023) reached similar positions on the chart. The latter two spawned the singles "Never Left" and "500lbs", respectively, both of which received platinum certifications by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His fourth studio album Plan A was released in 2024.
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"Gnat" is a song by American rapper Eminem from the deluxe edition of his eleventh studio album Music to Be Murdered By. It was released on December 18, 2020 along with the rest of Music to Be Murdered By: Side B and Cole Bennett-directed music video. It was written by Eminem and producer D.A. Got That Dope, alongside Anders Olofsson, Christopher S Torpey, Ezemdi Chikwendu, D. Levin, and K. Mars.
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"Doomsday" is a song released by American music video company Lyrical Lemonade, performed by American rappers Juice Wrld and Cordae. It was released through Lyrical Lemonade and Def Jam as a single on June 23, 2023. It is the debut single by Lyrical Lemonade and the lead single from their debut album, All Is Yellow (2024).
All Is Yellow is the debut studio album by multimedia production company Lyrical Lemonade, executive produced by the company's founder, American music video director Cole Bennett. It was released on January 26, 2024, via Lyrical Lemonade, and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. It features appearances by many prominent hip-hop artists.
