Director Ryan Staake is a very patient person.
Staake, a renowned creative mind behind numerous music videos, recently found himself in the unusual predicament of showing up to a shoot only to discover the talent that hired him was nowhere to be found. The extras and label reps were present however, as were the set pieces, so Ryan did what any professional on a schedule would: He pushed on.
The job in question was a music video for the single “Wyclef Jean” from Atlanta rapper Young Thug. Staake had based his shooting schedule on a recorded conversation with Young Thug that had taken place prior to the day of production, but when Thug was nowhere to be found the morning of the crew had to work around his absence. The same shots were completed, sans Thug, with a promise from label reps and management that the rapper would appear later in the day.
….But that never happened.
Staake’s budget for Wyclef Jean was $100,000, and though he did not have his star he managed to film every sequence he was tasked with bringing to life. He was given some performance footage to splice in after the fact, which was shot in a lower quality than the video itself, but that was all he could get from the man who was supposed to be in essentially every scene of the video.
With no other paths to getting the shots he wanted, Staake decided to deliver a final cut that featured everything Young Thug wanted (except, of course, Young Thug himself). He also added text overlays to explain what should be happening in sequences, as well as what shots were impossible due to Thug’s absence. The result is one of the most unusual and amusing music videos in a long time. Check it out:
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the video above is that it was actually uploaded on Young Thug’s official Youtube account. This mean Thug either approved of the cut above himself, or that someone at his label figured they might as well use the clip after spending a cool one-hundred grand having it made. Whatever the case, I’m happy this clip made it to the light of day.
James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also the Managing Editor for Substream Magazine, host of the Inside Music Podcast, and a 10-year veteran of the entertainment business. We recommend you follow him on Twitter.
