Hit-Boy - Automatically

What this video is

Released March 25, 2015, 'Automatically' arrived at a pivotal inflection point when producers transitioning into rap careers — a movement embodied by figures like Pharrell Williams and Kanye West — were gaining new legitimacy on the West Coast. Hit-Boy, already a Grammy-associated producer through his work with Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Beyoncé, used this single to assert an autonomous rapper identity under his own…

Why it matters

Marks a significant moment in the producer-as-rapper archetype within West Coast hip-hop. The pairing of a soulful piano-driven beat (self-produced via SmokeyGotBeatz) with naturalistic, low-key visuals anticipates the understated aesthetic that would define the LA rap underground through the late…

The director

Miami-born, LA-based American music video director and editor; USC Film School graduate who began his career in VFX. Signed to Psycho Films. Has directed videos for Kendrick Lamar, Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, Jack Harlow, SZA, Young Thug, 21 Savage, Flying…