TORONTO 鈥� When Toronto鈥檚 Director X was helming hip-hop music videos two decades ago, he had to find art in the genre clich茅s.
鈥淚 came up in an age where hip hop was, 鈥楪et the Ferrari and put that girl in a bikini,鈥� and that kind of thing,鈥� he said in an interview.
鈥淪o for us, the challenge was bring art to what we were being given: 鈥楢ll right, well look at this bikini, look at this design.鈥� 鈥�
How things have changed.
On Monday, as the acclaimed director stopped by the official Canadian launch of YouTube Music, the recording industry was abuzz with news of Beyonce and Jay-Z鈥檚 weekend release of the surprise joint album Everything is Love. The video for the first single, which has unprintable profanity in its title, is chock-full of fine art as it features the power couple in the Louvre in Paris.
Meanwhile, Drake鈥檚 new music video for I鈥檓 Upset 鈥� on which Director X served as an executive producer 鈥� was also in the headlines for featuring his former Degrassi: The Next Generation castmates.
And Childish Gambino鈥檚 latest video, This is America, has sparked a widespread conversation with its provocative messages about race, U.S. history and pop culture.
鈥淗ip hop has really grown into a very artistic, appreciative place,鈥� Director X, who was born Julien Christian Lutz, said after speaking at a YouTube Music press conference in Toronto.
鈥淭he idea of Jay-Z and the Louvre, if you had said that 15 years ago, people would have looked at you like you were crazy.
鈥淏ut the artists have grown, the appreciation and understanding has grown.鈥�
These days, the hip-hop music video is a powerful, intelligent, artistic platform that can have a big impact on audiences and culture, he added.
鈥淲hen the artist really takes control of their visual, that鈥檚 when you get the best reflection of who they are, because they鈥檙e bringing the sensibility they bring to their music to the visual side of it,鈥� said the music video maestro behind Drake鈥檚 viral sensation Hotline Bling and Rihanna鈥檚 restaurant dancehall delight Work.
鈥淐hildish Gambino, that鈥檚 one of those ones where that belongs in an art gallery just as much as it belongs on a music streaming site.鈥�
YouTube Music is such a service, with features including full albums, singles, playlists, remixes, covers and live performances. The service is personalized to music tastes and allows users to search based on lyrics or a description of a song.
Monday also marked the launch of YouTube Premium (formerly YouTube Red) in sa国际传媒, with features including ad-free videos and music, and original series and movies.
Drake鈥檚 I鈥檓 Upset video is among the offerings on the service and was directed by 22-year-old Karena Evans of Toronto, who was Director X鈥檚 protege.
鈥淜arena walked in as an intern, had real drive, showed us the stuff she鈥檇 been working on, had real talent,鈥� said X, who hails from Brampton, Ont., and co-founded the production company Creative Soul.
Last month鈥檚 release of I鈥檓 Upset came amid a beef between Drake and rapper Pusha T and was finished and released within a matter of 鈥渄ays,鈥� he added.
鈥淧repping it was wild,鈥� said X, who recently directed a remake of the 1972 Blaxploitation film Superfly and created the Viceland series Mister Tachyon, premi茅ring July 11.
鈥淭here were a lot of things to get together. The video shoot was another wild ride, and the speed that they finished and released was lightning-fast.鈥�
