Brent Faiyaz is a bit of a rascal. After teasing the long-awaited video for his Larger Than Life single “WY@” with Lupita Nyong’o, he dropped the video today — Valentine’s Day — in a bit of counterprogramming to all the lovey-dovey stuff going on in the rest of the world.
The video itself also subverts expectations, playing Inception-ish games with viewers’ perceptions. On one level, it depicts a somewhat romantic road trip with Nyong’o that turns into a video shoot, where the two stars share a coffee and flirt as depicted in yesterday’s trailer. But then, just when it looks like Brent is about to seal the deal with a kiss, it’s revealed to all be a dream. Faiyaz just fell asleep watching late-night TV, on which Lupita is about to sit down for an interview with a Jimmy Fallon analog — or is she? The camera pulls out one more time to reveal one last twist, leaving the question of what parts were “real” lingering like a still-spinning top.
You may soon be seeing the Marvel star on late-night a bunch yourself, as the rollout for her upcoming blockbuster A Quiet Place: Day One kicked off (heh) a few days ago during the Super Bowl, with the film itself hitting theaters on June 28.
Watch Brent Faiyaz’s “WY@” video up top.