Young Thug just released an amazing, hilarious new video for his song “Wyclef Jean.” The music video’s a hit, but there was just one minor problem with filming: Young Thug didn’t show up. It cost $100,000 to make, and the rapper never made it to the shoot.
Ryan Staake “co-directed” (quotations theirs) this video with Young Thug. The rap artist, infamous for not taking direction well, sent Staake a recording of him explaining the video concept to his team.
His instructions included “kiddie cars,” but not go carts, “like the power wheels joints.” He also wanted a “lot of bitches, bad bitches,” riding in the cars along with him.
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The only time we see Thugger on screen is in his own footage, which he sent Staake footage he use in the video. In his home-shot video, he’s throwing Cheerios in his face. For some reason.
All of this didn’t stop Staake from creating a documentary-style video detailing his experience trying to wrangle a cohesive video out of a series of hysterical events.
This one is for the Directors. @youngthug – Wyclef Jean https://t.co/33oyAlQ0NQ (I still can't believe this is out) pic.twitter.com/0Eo9fQO2Zr
— Ryan Staake (@ryanstaake) January 17, 2017
Children and scantily-clad women destroy a police car with rubber and wooden bats. Thugger eventually does make it to the set, but apparently refused to get out of the car because he’d just found out his Instagram was hacked.
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Ryan Staake said in an interview with Complex that all of this might sound unbelievable, but the tale seems to be true.
“The truth is stranger than fiction in this case, and I just wanted to run with it. So then I pushed back and said that I needed creative freedom because it needed to be in my voice. I don’t want people putting words in my mouth, I want to do it the way I want to do it for it to make sense and be funny. And for it to be, honestly, something worthwhile. I wasn’t interested in doing it if a marketing person was putting their words in my mouth.”
In another interview with TV Booooooom, Staake keeps his stories straight:
“The only part of this that was planned was using the audio of him describing what he wanted and building it out piece by piece. Beyond that, its 100% a reaction to the shitty cards I was dealt on this production. The video tells the story of what actually happened, but I agree, that would’ve been quite a concept if I’d planned it all.”
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Staake goes on to say he’s not even sure Young Thug has seen the video, or if he likes it. But considering the video has gotten nearly 700,000 views after being online for one day, it’s safe to say it’s a success.
