2 Chainz - Rule The World ft. Ariana Grande

What this video is

Released on March 11, 2019, 'Rule The World' arrived during a period of peak crossover synergy between hip-hop and mainstream pop. The video's 1920s Harlem Renaissance-coded visual language — applied to a track by Atlanta's 2 Chainz and pop superstar Ariana Grande — signals a broader early-2019 trend of rap videos deploying historical Black aesthetic traditions as a marker of prestige and cultural depth. The parent…

Why it matters

A landmark crossover artifact of late-2010s trap-inflected R&B, 'Rule The World' demonstrates how Southern hip-hop artists deployed theatrical, period-costumed visual strategies to claim access to the aesthetic prestige historically associated with jazz and soul traditions. The video's critical…

The director

Sebastian Sdaigui is a director born and raised in San Francisco, CA, who holds a BFA in Film and Television from New York University Tisch. A US Navy veteran (E-4 Petty Officer, 2007–2011), he transitioned into independent directing before serving as…