My Global Hustle » Archive » YG Chats w/ Rik Cordero

YG Chats w/ Rik Cordero

I got a chance 2 chat with my dude Rik Cordero. We talked about videos, movies, politricks and Y he is the hottest Video Director in the game right now. You know he’s the homey… he throwing out my government….. lol! -!YG

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YG: Hey Rik! Thx 4 taking time from the editing suite to meet with me. Did you catch the Giants whip ass in the Super Bowl? Who did you have your $ on?

Rik: Hey Larry how are you? Thanks for having me, you have an amazingly diverse blog. I did catch the Giants win, what a great game. Of course my faith was with my home team. This will be a great week for New Yorkers.

YG: So lets get right into it.. 2007 was a breakout year for your career as a Director. Your worked with artists from Jay-Z to Ghostface and this has made you one of the most sought after Video Directors in the game. Do you feel pressure to continue to raise the bar? Moreover, what motivates you churn out videos @ such a frenetic pace?

Rik: Honestly, I don’t really feel any pressure to raise the bar. I’m not even sure that I raised it. I think I simply adapted to this digital age of filmmaking and applied a combination of stories about real life struggles with my love for Hip Hop. Since I did a lot with the internet last year, the assumption is that I’ll receive bigger budgets and have more expensive items on screen. That’s not really where my interest lie. It exists in capturing the human condition and finding inspiration everytime I step outside. The moment I stopped thinking about success in terms of budgets and money and more about how successful I could make myself to others is when I became extremely motivated. Naturally I do have to make a living off of this so my business has to be straight. But my movement is a much bigger picture and my goal is much deeper than trying to get more money to make a Hip Hop music video. I could very well take the typical budget of a mainstream director and create quality feature films. 😉 We’ll see…

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=JODhpmXZpxc]

YG: Blue Magic Trailer! 2 Days 2 make! You kind of sparked a trend with the whole video trailer approach. Would you say that project was the “tipping point” for your career as a Video Director?

Rik: Yeah that was a pivotal moment in my career. We approached it like any other project so the 2 day thing is actually kind of slow for us LOL. What’s strange is that although it’s called a “trailer” it really isn’t. Traditionally, a trailer is a preview of something much longer. But we never cut up snippets of the actual Blue Magic video, we created a video that was inspired by the American Gangster album which was inspired by the movie. It’s probably much closer to an interpolation than a trailer. I think everyone just sort of ran with the trailer idea and that’s how the trend was created. I think if I do anything trailer related again it will have to be something longer than 75 minutes.

YG: How did it feel to get the co-sign from Jay about this project?

Rik: Getting the co-sign from Jay was unbelievable. It’s like meeting the Pope or Oprah or something. And he really made me feel his inspiration as an artist. You know some of these artists man they look at directors as cameramen, people they just want to point and shoot. But when Jay-Z looks you in the eye and gives you the thumbs up, he’s looking at you as an artist. And that’s what I try to do with each video. Create pieces of art.

YG: You have been able to really leverage new media to get your work out to the masses directly. Does access to new media enable you to be more creative in your approach to directing music videos?

Rik: New media allows me to be more independent and its just natural to be more creative when you don’t have a bunch of non-creatives watching over you. So in that regard, I’ve definitely been able to leverage the internet because of the consistent work with both independent and mainstream artists. It’s relevant, it’s fast and we’re doing videos for songs that the labels would never support.

YG: Are channels like MTV or BET in your mind when you are thinking about how you want to communicate with your target audience?

Rik: I do have relationships with people at MTV and BET and sometimes my videos slip into their programming in very unusual ways. But my target audience is everyone. And the fastest way to reach my audience is through the internet. So my only concern right now is if I’m challenging myself creatively and if the artist is happy. And eventually, we’ll be in the mind of MTV and BET when they are thinking about how to communicate with our target audience. 😉

YG: Influences! Watching your videos remind me of the Video Music Box days. (Shout out 2 Uncle Ralph) How much did growing up in Queens influence your raw and gritty approach to directing?

Rik: They feel gritty because I’m more interested in capturing the truth of the moment which is something that’s definitely missing from present day music videos. Back in the days, a Hip Hop video was something that was going to make a statement. Whether it was Will Smith dressed as his mother against a white wall studio or Public Enemy marching through the streets of Brooklyn, something was being said and it was entertaining. Just having a rapper on camera was captivating in those days. Rapper’s actually had personalities back then too. I think we’re coming back to that as artists are taking their art back and the machines are crumbling. I also embrace the online community’s intelligence rather than shun it so my rules are based on how I feel on a certain day. They aren’t based on what a video commissioner or a network wants to see.

YG: When do you think we started 2 see the decline in rappers who had the ability to captivate the minds & hearts of the masses? Did it start with Laffy Taffy? Shiney Suitman? 🙂 Or is it just indicative of the space hip hop culture is in right now… “Microwave Consumerism”.

Rik: I think we all should be held responsible for our Hip Hop culture. From the fans to the artists to the consumers to the writers. It’s easy for all of us to point out what’s gone wrong with the music but in the end, what are we contributing to Hip Hop? My initial goal was to give these artists a visual platform to promote their music without having to rely on the labels. That’s it. And some of the criticism I’ve seen on the web has been leveled from the conditioning of the networks. When we hear a great song do you ask yourself what the budget was for the rental of the studio? Wow, they must have spent a ton on that keyboard! But with videos the first thing the average Hip Hop consumer is concerned with is the video budget. This digital age will force us to adapt to the times and we’ll be focusing on creating concepts and human behaviors more than renting expensive gear.

YG: Who are your top 3 favorite video directors? What about their style do you admire?

Rik: My early inspiration and personality who I can identify most with would be Spike Jonze. Spike’s videos have a personal signature to them that’s both innocent and immensely dark. Labeling him as “weird” is very lazy. He has layers upon layers of depth and his talent continues to grow with his feature film work. Chris Robinson is another director who I admire for his solid story telling and ability to not go over the top as some of his peers seem to do. He too has the strength to weave into features as easily as his video work. Finally, Mark Romanek has done some of the best videos of all time. He is a master craftsman and a perfectionist. I may never have the patience to be as detailed as filmmakers of that magnitude, but I’ll always give a ton of heart.

YG: Now most people don’t know that you are very serious filmmaker. Tell us about the projects that you have in the pipeline.

Rik: Well my first serious narrative project was a feature titled “Mend” (Click 2 See Trailer) that I made in 2004. It’s about four friends from Maine who move to New York to pursue their individual dreams. It’s a character study about depression, stress, and financial well-being. We also created a fictional drug called Elotane which serves as a commentary on direct to consumer drug advertising and the nature of health and consumerism.

We’re also in development for a feature titled “Inside A Change“ which is about Chris Rhodes (Al Thompson) who is about to serve 180 days in prison for a first time offense. When his mother invites him home for dinner, he finds his younger brother following in his footsteps and his older brother, Shawn (Jamie Hector) disowning him. With his family falling apart, Chris forced to re-examine his life and how he can bring everyone together for his mother’s birthday. It’s based on the life of a friend of mine Chris Alexander who passed away in 2004. I used to produce beats back then and he was a rapper. We formed a deep artistic bond and I felt like I got a chance to glimpse into his soul. That’s something that will be with me forever and his memory is the inspiration for the movie. It’s definitely a labor of love and everyone involved came into the project because of that.

YG: Do you have a preference between music videos & films?

Rik: Both are forms of filmmaking. And to me filmmaking is an education in photography, lighting, audio, acting, psychology, etc. It’s one of the most challenging mediums to work in and I dive into it head first every single time I pick up that camera. My hustle is shooting like everyday could be my last. And whether I have a big crew or it’s just me and that camera, I will get it in EVERY single time. But you really have to love this shit to understand. You have to be in the trenches, cold and exhausted yet feel like this is the only place you’d rather be. You have to understand, budgets will never get in the way of my passion. This is who I am.

YG: If you could give 1 piece of advice to a young filmmaker trying to come up in the game, what would it be?

Rik: “You can always tell the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”

YG: Today is Super Tuesday… I’m about to go vote in an hour. Who are you going for Obama or Clinton?

Rik: Obama.

YG: Is there a particular reason for that choice?

Rik: It’s time for a change and Obama definitely represents that persona of the
everyman image.

YG: Who you telling. 🙂 Enough about politricks… What can we expect from Rik Cordero in 2008?

Rik: Three/21 Films + Cornerstone Promotions = a potent production/marketing force to be reckoned with.

YG: Word! That sounds hot….Cornerstone/Fader Films has found some success with bornready.tv featuring Lance Stephenson. Can you talk a bit more about the Cornerstone + Three/21 Films collaboration? Will you be creating content exclusively for the web?

Rik: We’re forming a partnership with Cornerstone Promotions which will allow us to generate creative solutions for original content on the web as well as work with other artists and corporate sponsors outside of the Hip Hop realm. The Lance Stephenson project was definitely a success and will pave the way for more reality based content that isn’t “scripted”. Cornerstone/Fader understand the grassroots approach to entertainment and they see us as themselves when they first began. You’ll hear about our 2008 projects very shortly with an official press release. But for now..stay tuned!