Eyedea & Abilities - Smile

What this video is

Released in July 2009 on Rhymesayers Entertainment, 'Smile' arrived at the apex of the Twin Cities underground hip-hop scene's national visibility. Eyedea & Abilities represented a strain of experimental, punk-inflected rap that resisted mainstream conventions, and 'By the Throat' was their most sonically adventurous work. The video's realist aesthetic — warm, unglamorous, street-level — mirrored the song's…

Why it matters

The video is a key artifact of 2000s experimental underground hip-hop's visual grammar: realist, narrative-driven, and deliberately anti-commercial. It documents the aesthetic convergence of indie rap and socially conscious storytelling at a moment when labels like Rhymesayers were defining the…

The director

Maria Juranic is a director and editor of short-form content based in New York and Los Angeles. An immigrant from Yugoslavia, her work spans music video, advertising, fashion, and film. Her visual style combines animation with mixed media, bending between…