Babytron raps over 21 iconic beats in the unprecedented Cole Bennett-directed “Emperor of the Universe”

by Aidan C Werder on May 28, 2022

This past week, Cole Bennett teamed up with Detroit’s most unlikely new star, Babytron, to do the impossible on “Emperor of the Universe” - a nearly 6-minute-long supercut of 21 of the most recognizable hip hop beats paired with 21 different corresponding locations in the Lyrical Lemonade video that’s already racked up over 1.4M views in 3 days. 

While some might be fooled by his nonchalant flow and generally disheveled look, 21-year-old Babytron has quietly been growing a loyal fanbase that likely came for his unorthodox style and irreverent attitude - but stayed for his magnetic personality and surprisingly electric bars. With this new single, he adds to a growing list of self-proclaimed titles, starting from “Prince of the Mitten” to “King of the of the Galaxy’ and finally his biggest appointment yet, “Emperor of the Universe.”

Across 21 different beats, Babytron displays an impressive level of dexterity - adapting his raw, care-free scammer flow to drop a cool 8 bars over an impossibly wide range of production from the last 4 decades of hip hop. The track opens with the blaring horns of Jack Harlow’s “Nail Tech” as Tron raps his verse from the middle of the freeway - later we hear other recent hits like Durk and Gunna’s “What Happened to Virgil” and Yeat’s “Sorry Bout Dat” as he does his best Yeat impression at Joshua Tree. He brings us through the 2010’s with Drake’s “Forever”, Chief Keef’s “Faneto”, and Future’s “Mask Off” and hits the 2000s with Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson”, Usher’s “Yeah!”, and Chris Brown’s “Run It.” Probably most surprising of all, Babytron even takes us back to the 90s as he raps over Ice Cube’s “Good Day”, BIG’s “Juicy”, Dr. Dre  & Snoop Dogg’s “Still DRE.”

On each and every beat, Babytron somehow manages to capture the spirit of the original song without compromising his one-of-a-kind style - providing a sample of what a time-traveling young Detroit scammer in every decade might look like. 

Both Cole Bennett and Babytron have developed a reputation for doing more with less, and creating a dynamic, hugely entertaining music video shot (on an iPhone) in 21 locations over 21 different beats is just the latest example of their creative visions. 

Check out the unprecedented Lyrical Lemonade video for Babytron’s “Emperor of the Universe” below

LEAVE A COMMENT

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published


BACK TO TOP