Ukrainian director Tanu Muiño had big shoes to fill when she agreed to film a music video for one of the biggest hip-hop stars today, Cardi B.
The rapper’s 2020 collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion, another female hip-hop sensation, for the “WAP” music video created a lot of buzz and received critical praise for the sex-positive message. “WAP” reached over 336 million views on YouTube.
So Cardi B’s next release couldn’t avoid comparisons.
For “Up,” yet another sexual work that features revealing outfits and racy scenes, the rapper picked Muiño because she “wanted to do something different.”
“I flew her all the way out from Ukraine,” Cardi B said in a video Muiño shared on Instagram. “I think she’s so amazing, and I hope you guys enjoy this music video.”
The music video for Cardi B’s new single of the same title has collected over two million views just hours after being released on Feb. 5.
“This team killed it!” Muiño wrote on Instagram, posting a short clip from the video.
This is not the first time the Ukrainian director collaborated with international stars. Just over a year ago, her music video for Spanish singer Rosalía, “Juro Que,” dropped, having so far reached almost 37 million views.
The intro scene of “Up” shows Cardi B in a sexy black outfit rapping in the middle of a cemetery next to the gravestone that says “RIP 2020.”
The video is followed by a number of colorful scenes with extravagant settings and looks. The New York rapper lies inside a giant oyster shell, kissing her fellow female dancers, wearing a wig full of talking Barbie doll heads and busting some energetic moves.
Inspired by the Chicago drill genre, the New York rapper wanted to make “Up” more gangster.
In a Twitter video, Cardi B thanked Muiño for the cooperation, saying that the director came to the United States for two weeks to work on the set.
Another Ukrainian, Nikita Kuzmenko, served as the video’s director of photography.
Aside from her international collaborations, Muiño is no less popular with local musicians. She has previously directed music videos for pop stars Monatik, Dorofeeva and NK.
