Jarad Higgins, known to the world as Juice WRLD, wasn’t just a rapper. He was a mood. When the lucid dreams music video dropped in May 2018, it didn't just promote a song; it basically bottled up the anxiety of an entire generation. It’s messy. It’s trippy. Honestly, it looks like it was filmed inside a literal migraine, which is exactly why it worked. Directed by Cole Bennett of Lyrical Lemonade, this specific piece of visual media became a defining moment for the "SoundCloud Rap" era, bridging the gap between lo-fi internet aesthetics and mainstream dominance.
The video currently sits with billions of views. That’s a lot of zeros. But the numbers don't really tell the story of why people keep coming back to it. It’s about that yellow floor. The cardboard box head. The way the camera moves like it’s stumbling home after a bad breakup.
The Lyrical Lemonade touch and that low-budget feel
Cole Bennett has this thing. A style. You know it when you see it. It usually involves heavy saturation, DIY props, and editing that feels like a glitch in the Matrix. For the lucid dreams music video, Bennett used a remarkably small set. It’s mostly just Juice in a room with some funky lighting and a staircase that leads nowhere.
There’s a raw vulnerability in seeing a kid—and he really was just a kid then—poking his head through a floorboards-style setup. It wasn't about high-gloss cinematic production values like a Hype Williams video from the 90s. It was about feeling. It felt like something you and your friends could make if you were creative enough and had a really good editor. That "attainable" vibe is what built the Lyrical Lemonade empire. It made the stars feel like they were part of the same internet culture as the fans.
Juice WRLD’s performance in the video is mostly internal. He isn't doing much. He’s just being. He’s vibing with his own sadness. You see him trapped in a literal box at one point. It’s a pretty on-the-nose metaphor for being stuck in your own head, but in the context of a song about sleep paralysis and heartbreak, it hits.
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Why the "Lucid Dreams" aesthetic defined a subculture
The visual language here draws heavily from the "sad boy" aesthetic that was bubbling up on Tumblr and Instagram at the time. We're talking about distorted colors and a sense of "dream logic" where things don't quite fit together.
- The Color Palette: Lots of yellows, deep blues, and purples. It mimics the REM cycle.
- The Distortion: The "fisheye" lens effect makes the room feel smaller, heightening the sense of claustrophobia.
- The Symbolism: The heart being physically stepped on or messed with. It’s literal. It’s "emo-rap" in its purest visual form.
The song itself samples Sting’s "Shape of My Heart." It’s a sophisticated sample choice for a kid from Chicago. When you pair that melancholic guitar riff with Bennett’s jittery visuals, you get something that feels both nostalgic and brand new. It’s a weird paradox.
The technical side of the "Lucid Dreams" music video visuals
People often ask how they got that specific look. It’s not just one filter. It’s a mix of high-frame-rate shooting slowed down and specific digital "datamoshing" techniques. Bennett is known for using Adobe After Effects to create those signature transitions where one scene seems to melt into the next.
In the lucid dreams music video, the transitions are key. They mimic the way a dream shifts. One second he’s on the stairs, the next he’s under the floor. There is no linear logic. If you've ever actually had a lucid dream, you know that feeling of realizing you’re in a fake world but being unable to change the scenery. The video captures that helplessness perfectly.
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Legacy and the tragic context of the "Sad Rap" movement
It’s hard to watch the video now without feeling a bit of a heavy heart. Juice WRLD passed away in December 2019, just a year and a half after this video catapulted him to the top of the charts. This video now serves as a time capsule. It represents the peak of a specific movement where mental health, drug use, and heartbreak were laid bare in a way hip-hop hadn't really seen before on such a massive scale.
Critics at the time were sometimes dismissive. They called it "whiny." They said the visuals were "cheap." But the fans? They saw themselves. They saw a guy who was hurting and wasn't afraid to look a little ridiculous in a cardboard box to show it.
What most people get wrong about the video's production
A lot of people think this was a massive studio production because of how many views it has. Nope. It was shot in a relatively short amount of time with a small crew. The "special effects" are largely creative camera work and clever post-production. It’s a masterclass in how to use a singular vision to overcome a lack of a Hollywood budget.
The impact on the industry was massive. After this, every label wanted their own "Lyrical Lemonade" style video. They tried to manufacture that lo-fi aesthetic, but it’s hard to fake. You can’t just buy the "soul" of a video like this.
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How to appreciate the video's details today
If you go back and watch it now, look at the eyes. Juice WRLD had this way of looking directly into the lens that felt like he was checking to see if you were still there. It’s haunting.
Also, notice the pacing. The video speeds up and slows down in sync with the hi-hats in the production. Nick Mira, the producer of the track, created a beat that is incredibly rhythmic but also airy. The video follows that lead. It’s a rhythmic experience as much as a visual one.
Actionable ways to explore the "Lucid Dreams" impact
If you’re a creator or just a fan of the era, there are a few things you can do to really dive into this specific moment in music history:
- Watch the "Behind the Scenes": Cole Bennett often releases BTS footage on the Lyrical Lemonade 2 channel. Seeing the actual room they shot in vs. the final product is a trip. It shows you the power of color grading.
- Compare to "All Girls Are The Same": This was the other big Juice/Bennett collab from that era. Notice the similarities in the "dream" theme but how lucid dreams music video took it to a darker, more claustrophobic place.
- Study the "SoundCloud Visual" Era: Look at videos from Lil Skies or Ski Mask the Slump God from the same time period. You’ll see a common thread of digital distortion and DIY energy that changed how music videos were made for a decade.
- Listen to the Sting sample separately: Go listen to "Shape of My Heart." Then come back to the video. You’ll hear how the visual mood actually matches the guitar's melancholy better than the original song did.
The lucid dreams music video remains a cornerstone of modern pop culture. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the most "human" thing you can do is show your flaws, your sadness, and your weirdness in high definition. It wasn't just a video; it was a vibe that defined an era.