Jhené Aiko - Sativa ft. Rae Sremmurd

What this video is

Released January 22, 2018, the 'Sativa' video serves as a visual companion to the Rae Sremmurd remix of Jhené Aiko's track from her 2017 album Trip — a 22-track psychedelic R&B concept album released on Def Jam Recordings. The video arrived at a moment of peak cultural crossover between introspective alt-R&B and trap, embodied by the pairing of Aiko's meditative sensibility with Rae Sremmurd's high-energy rap…

Why it matters

A landmark video in late-2010s alt-R&B visual culture, 'Sativa' exemplifies the genre's embrace of sci-fi surrealism and concept-driven narrative as counterpoint to performance-only formats. The trap-R&B crossover pairing — Aiko's ethereal delivery against Rae Sremmurd's Mississippi rap energy —…

The director

Eyes (credited as EYES) is a music video director and editor whose work is catalogued at createdbyeyes.com. Confirmed credits include directing and editing the Jhené Aiko ft. Rae Sremmurd 'Sativa' video (2018, Art Club International). The portfolio at…