Cypress Hill - (Rap) Superstar

What this video is

Released in early 2000 as the lead single from Cypress Hill's fifth studio album Skull & Bones, '(Rap) Superstar' arrived at a moment of intense self-reflection within hip-hop regarding commercial fame, authenticity, and industry exploitation. The video's funhouse allegory — rooms offering hollow glamour, propaganda speeches, and televised industry testimony — functions as a satirical deconstruction of rap…

Why it matters

A landmark document of the Y2K hip-hop/nu-metal crossover moment, '(Rap) Superstar' represents Cypress Hill's most commercially successful video era and one of the rare instances where a West Coast hip-hop group adopted rock-video surrealist aesthetics without sacrificing hip-hop identity. Its…

The director

Seattle-born director and photographer; BFA from Washington State University (1988); attended Art Center College of Design, Pasadena. Began directing music videos in 1994. Rose to prominence directing Marilyn Manson's 'Sweet Dreams.' In 2000, co-founded Los…