2 Chainz - Bigger Than You ft. Drake, Quavo

What this video is

Released in September 2018, this video arrived at the apex of commercial trap rap's crossover dominance, when 2 Chainz, Drake, and Quavo each represented distinct but overlapping nodes of the genre's mainstream reach. The video was a lead single for 2 Chainz's forthcoming Rap or Go to the League LP. The comedic child-doppelganger concept served as a self-aware commentary on rap bravado, deflating the posturing of…

Why it matters

A landmark late-2010s trap rap video notable for rejecting the genre's standard luxury-visual vocabulary in favor of a high-concept comedic conceit. By replacing three of rap's biggest stars with child actors, director Nathan R. Smith produced one of the most-discussed rap videos of 2018, drawing…

The director

Nathan R. Smith is a director, writer, and editor from the suburbs of Washington, DC. He attended NYU Tisch and began his professional career directing music videos for hip-hop artists including Mick Jenkins and Joey Bada$$. His career accelerated with the…