"If You Only Knew" Video Takes Miami Rapper BZZY on Psychedelic Pop Journey

As 2016 mercifully comes to a close, Miami-born and Tidal-approved rapper BZZY (née Lazaro Camejo and formerly known as Bizzy Crook) prepares to welcome the new year with his most lavish endeavor yet. On January 5, the 25-year-old hip-hop artist will release the video for “If You Only Knew,” the first single from his 2016 project, A Part of Everything.

With a club-ready four-on-the-floor beat, alluring vocal sample, and soothing hook courtesy of R&B singer Lloyd, “If You Only Knew” is an unabashedly pop joint. Despite the track’s short, 3.5-minute runtime, it took roughly six months for BZZY to unpack the beat.

“I like production that challenges me,” BZZY says. “I just listened to it 'cause I knew I loved it. And I can’t write music until I’m in that emotion that I’m trying to write about. I just listened to the beat for six months, and then the song ended up coming together.”

Much like the song, the video for “If You Only Knew” is a colorful affair, with topless women, a golden throne, and acid-washed visuals accompanying a stern BZZY as he makes his way through Joshua Tree National Park in California.

“Basically, you don’t really notice in the video that I’m in a mental hospital – it’s kind of like one big trip, one big illusion,” BZZY says of the video’s visual content. “So I told [HyperHouse] what I wanted, and they came up with the idea. I told 'em: ‘I want something out of the norm; I want something out of the box’... I direct all my videos, so if I’m working with somebody new, I might as well take advantage of it, and we might come up with something that I can’t think of by myself.”

The exclusive premiere of “If You Only Knew” on Tidal is the latest development in the ongoing relationship between BZZY and the music streaming service. He is the inaugural artist in Discovery — Tidal’s program dedicated to shining light on underground and independent artists.

“Tidal reached out to us, and they wanted me to be involved with the Discovery program,” BZZY recalls. “And while we were in talks for that – this is when I was living in Los Angeles last year – my Twitter started blowing up like, 'Yo, I’ve just seen your album cover in the new Tidal promotion during the Billboard awards.’… We had literally just started talking, and they’d already started shedding light on my music.”

BZZY is looking forward to 2017 and the promise it holds for his career and craft. In addition to embarking on his first European tour and making a short film, BZZY plans to relish his status as an up-and-coming independent artist, along with all of the opportunities it affords.

“In 2017, I plan to establish a bigger audience,” BZZY explains. “I plan to remain independent. I plan to headline my first tour. [With regards to] my company, Good Luck Forever, I plan to sign an artist. I plan to evolve... and I plan on having this conversation with you a year from now and be in a different place.”