Cole Bennett | |
|---|---|
 Bennett in 2023 | |
| Born | Cole Michael Bennett (1996-05-14)May 14, 1996 (age 29) Plano, Illinois, U.S |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2013–present |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Subscribers | 23.7 million |
| Views | 12.5 billion |
| Last updated: August 2025 | |
| Website | lyricallemonade |
Cole Michael Bennett (born May 14, 1996) is an Americanmusic video director and record executive.[1] He is the founder ofLyrical Lemonade. He has collaborated with notable artists such asEminem,Justin Bieber,Kanye West,Juice WRLD,Drake,Jack Harlow,Cardi B and many more. He is well known for his work withJuice Wrld on music videos such as "Lucid Dreams", "Robbery", "Bandit", "Armed and Dangerous" and "Tell Me U Luv Me". Also, he has directed music videos such asYG Marley's "Praise Jah in the Moonlight",Lil Yachty's "Poland",Lil Tecca's "Ransom",Internet Money's "Lemonade",Eminem's "Godzilla", "Gnat" and "Tobey",JID's "Off Deez",Jack Harlow's "Whats Poppin",Wiz Khalifa's "Fr Fr",YNW Melly's "Mixed Personalities",Jennie's "ExtraL", and many others. In 2024, he released the albumAll Is Yellow, through Lyrical Lemonade andDef Jam Recordings.
Cole Michael Bennett was born on May 14, 1996, inPlano, Illinois. His dad passed away when Bennett was 2 years old, resulting in him being raised by his mother and two older sisters.[2] He went toPlano High School andDePaul University[3] before dropping out to focus on his career invideography andhip-hop, which he had been interested in since childhood.[4]
Bennett originally founded Lyrical Lemonade as an internet blog when he was a high school student in Plano, Illinois. His mother helped him come up with the blog's name and had given him a video camera. He began directing music videos for localChicago rappers, such asVic Mensa,Taylor Bennett (no relation),King Louie,[5] andRidgio,[6][7] all of which he uploaded onto the Lyrical Lemonade channel.[8][9] His channel also featured live show recaps, cyphers, documentaries and interviews.[10]
The channel then expanded into other sub-genres of hip hop beyond the local Chicago scene, such as the emergingSoundcloud rap sub-genre. In 2016 and early 2017, he gained early recognition, working with artists such asFamous Dex,Lil Pump,Smokepurpp, andSki Mask the Slump God. On April 7, 2017, he released his first short film, "Lone Springs". In August 2017, he directed the music video for theLil Xan single, "Betrayed", which was certified Platinum by theRIAA in 2018.[11] He later directed numerous music videos for hit songs, which include Ski Mask the Slump God's "BabyWipe",Lil Skies' "Red Roses" and "Nowadays", andYBN Nahmir's "Bounce Out with That".
In May 2018, he directed the music video for Chicago rapperJuice Wrld's "Lucid Dreams", which peaked at number 2 on theBillboard Hot 100.[12][13] As of August 2024, the video has surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube, becoming his most popular video on the channel. He has since worked with mainstream figures in hip hop such asJ. Cole,[14]Wiz Khalifa,[15]Kanye West,[16] andEminem.[17]
In January 2020, he directed the music video for Kentucky rapperJack Harlow's breakout single "What's Poppin". In March 2020, he directed the music video for Eminem's hit single "Godzilla".[18] The video itself features cameos fromDr. Dre andMike Tyson.[19] It gained 13 million views in 24 hours.[20] In December 2020, in his second collaboration with Eminem, Bennett directed the music video for the rapper's single "Gnat".[21]
In 2023, Bennett began releasing tracks from his debut studio album, titledAll Is Yellow (2024). The lead single from the album, "Doomsday", with Juice Wrld andCordae, was released on June 23, 2023, and reached number 58 on theBillboard Hot 100, 49 on theCanadian Hot 100, 83 on theIrish Singles Chart, and 92 on theUK Singles Chart. The album's second single, "Guitar in My Room", withLil Durk andKid Cudi, was released on September 29. The third single, "Hello There", withCorbin,Lil Tracy andBlack Kray, was released on October 20. The album's fourth single, "Stop Giving Me Advice", withDave and Jack Harlow, was released on December 8 and charted at number 33 on the Irish Singles Chart, and 29 on the UK Singles Chart. The fifth and final single, "Fallout", withGus Dapperton,Lil Yachty andJoey Badass, was released on January 12, 2024.
All Is Yellow was released on January 26, 2024. The tracklist was revealed on January 13, 2024.[22]
Bennett went on to direct a music video for every song of off the album. Three of the videos are yet to be released.
In May 2024, Bennett announced that he would be stepping down from directing every Lyrical Lemonade video on the YouTube channel. Mentioning that he would be directing only a select music videos a year moving forward. With this, he also stated that he will be signing video directors to keep the story going.[23] Since then, Lyrical Lemonade has signed 3 music video directors – AMD, Diamond Visuals and Reduciano.
In October 2024, it was announced viaRolling Stone that Bennett would be directing aChief Keef documentary detailing the story of Keef's return home to Chicago, produced byKenya Barris.[24]
Cole Bennett has mentioned he is focused on making a feature film in the coming years while continuing to build his production company.[23]
Cole Bennett was in a relationship with modelSommer Ray from 2021 to 2022.[25] He dated modelGigi Hadid in late 2023.[26][27][28] Bennett has been in a relationship with actressCamila Morrone since 2024.[29][30]
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Bennett's Lyrical Lemonade frequently promotes and contributes to the rise of upcoming rappers.[31] Examples of this includeLil Pump, whose appearance on Lyrical Lemonade elevated his popularity to a certain extent.[32] Other examples includeSmokepurpp,Juice Wrld,Ski Mask the Slump God,YNW Melly,Lil Tecca,NLE Choppa,Lil Mosey,The Kid Laroi,Yeat,Trippie Redd, andJack Harlow.[33]
Pitchfork named Ski Mask the Slump God's 2017 "Catch Me Outside" music video, which was directed by Bennett, one of their favorite music videos of the 2010s.[34]
Bennett hosts an independent music festival calledThe Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash every Summer. It was started in 2018 in partnership with Chicago-based event production labelSPKRBX.[35] The festival is three days long and brings in over 40,000 people a day. Summer Smash has featured acts such asTravis Scott,Post Malone,Juice WRLD,Lauryn Hill,Insane Clown Posse and many many more.
Bennett has also ventured into creating merchandise andlemonade beverages under the Lyrical Lemonade name. He said, "I really want to compete withMinute Maid and all of the elite lemonade and juice companies and I really think we can do that."[36]
In February 2020, Lyrical Lemonade collaborated withJordan Brand.[37] The collection included an Aerospace 720 shoe, a hooded sweatshirt, and a long sleevet-shirt.[38] In April 2020, Lyrical Lemonade collaborated with streetwear brand FTP. The collection included a hooded sweatshirt, a t-shirt, and co-branded cans of lemonade.[39][better source needed]
Since then, Lyrical Lemonade joinedIllumination Studios for a partnership. Lyrical Lemonade has done two creative projects forThe Minions[40] and one forThe Super Mario Bros. Movie withJack Black.[41]
In November 2021, Cole Bennett launched another virtual retail space called "By Cole Bennett."[42] Here, individuals are able to buy clothing and other soft goods that are designed by Bennett himself and are subject to very limited releases. On the same virtual store front, Bennett occasionally allows fans to purchase props previously used in Lyrical Lemonade videos.[citation needed]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [43] | US R&B/HH [44] | AUS [45] | CAN [46] | NZ [47] | ||
| All Is Yellow |
| 43 | 16 | 86 | 51 | 23 |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [48] | US R&B/HH [49] | CAN [50] | IRE [51] | NZ Hot [52] | UK [53] | |||
| "Doomsday" (withJuice Wrld andCordae) | 2023 | 58 | 19 | 49 | 83 | 3 | 92 | All Is Yellow |
| "Guitar in My Room" (withKid Cudi andLil Durk) | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Hello There" (withCorbin andLil Tracy featuring Black Kray) | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Stop Giving Me Advice" (withDave featuringJack Harlow) | — | — | — | 33 | 7 | 29 | ||
| "Fallout" (withGus Dapperton featuringLil Yachty andJoey Badass) | 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Bub. [54] | US R&B/HH [55] | NZ Hot [52] | |||
| "Fly Away" (withJID,Sheck Wes, andSki Mask the Slump God) | 2024 | — | — | 34 | All Is Yellow |
| "Say Ya Grace" (withChief Keef andLil Yachty) | — | — | 32 | ||
| "This My Life" (withLil Tecca featuringthe Kid Laroi andLil Skies) | 19 | 49 | 20 | ||
| "Doomsday Pt. 2" (withEminem) | — | — | 16 | ||
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BET Awards | 2020 | Video Director of the Year | Himself | Nominated | [56] |
| 2021 | Nominated | [57] | |||
| 2023 | Nominated | [58] | |||
| 2024 | Won | [59] | |||
| 2025 | Nominated | [60] | |||
| BET Hip Hop Awards | 2020 | Video Director of the Year | Himself | Nominated | [61] |
| 2021 | Nominated | [62] | |||
| 2022 | Nominated | [63] | |||
| 2023 | Nominated | [64] | |||
| 2024 | Nominated | [65] | |||
| Streamy Awards | 2019 | Directing | Lyrical Lemonade | Nominated | [66] |
| 2020 | Cinematography | Nominated | [67] | ||
| 2022 | Won | [68] | |||
| 2023 | Nominated | [69] |
 |
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Juice Wrld: Into the Abyss | Himself | [72] |