Cole Bennett is the latest creative voice to be tasked with facing off against hot questions, and even hotter wings, on Hot Ones with host Sean Evans.
The Lyrical Lemonade founder is currently fresh off the release of new videos he directed for Lil Yachty and blink-182, the latter of which marked the return of Tom DeLonge. Deep into the new Hot Ones, Bennett reflected on his directorial videography, including the competing bucket list moments that presented themselves on the set of the 2020 video for Eminem’s “Godzilla” track featuring the late Juice WRLD.
“This video was like no other,” Bennett said around the 8:25 mark in the video above. “It was one of those things. Like, growing up being a fan of hip-hop music, music videos, and just pop culture. I mean, I remember Eminem as being the biggest thing in the world so to get to work with him so closely and feel that energy and feel him be so ready to just log in all these hours and be so receptive to my ideas and my vision for things to, you know, a song that he had created was really, really cool.”
The video, which ultimately bagged a Video of the Year nomination at the VMAs, features cameos from Dr. Dre and Mike Tyson. According to Bennett, Tyson was kind enough to offer him shrooms during the shoot.
“Mike Tyson was off shrooms,” Bennett said. “He offered me some shrooms which, you know, was a bucket list moment for sure. But, you know, being on set and leading this vision was also a bucket list moment so I had to pick my poison there. Didn’t do the shrooms.”
Elsewhere, Bennett provided some hot sauce-complicated insight on being invited to Diddy’s house for dinner and the importance comfort plays in his personal style. He also detailed why he considers the music video art form to be a “super important” facet of the artist-and-fan connection, particularly a video’s ability to put artists’ “character and personality” on display while challenging them to inhabit a new world.
See the full Hot Ones episode up top.
And below, see the recently unveiled alternate video for blink-182’s aforementioned classic lineup reunion track “Edging,” featuring a cameo from Bennett himself.