When you think The Weeknd dream collaborators, you might think Eminem. The Detroit rapper collaborated with Abel Tesfaye -- otherwise known as Bella Hadid’s boyfriend -- in a futuristic 360 virtual reality music video.
No there aren’t hoverboards, but there is a music video that allows you to control the camera as Tesfaye makes his slow progress towards an exploding car (it's not a DeLorean).
“The Hills,” already a favorite among the 4 AM party set, gets a hedonistic boost from Eminem as he raps about forgoing pills but telling the song’s subject, “We gon’ film cause I will want your ex to see.” At least Em isn’t planning on aping director Nabil’s multiple GoPro technique to create an immersive cuckold experience.
You really don’t get the full picture unless you commandeer the camera with the AWSD keys. (The video requires Google Chrome or the YouTube App on mobile. For mobile, it's best viewed over wifi with quality changed to 720p.)
Highlights include the aforementioned exploding car, an Aurora Borealis complete with streaking comets, and women dancing in windows lit up like Drake’s “Hotline Bling” video. You’ll probably want to watch it multiple times. When you do, try a drinking game where you take a shot every time something blows up. Or you could try to do the same with the dancing girls. Or even with the number of comets in the sky. But don’t try to drink to all three unless you have a death wish or nothing much happening tonight.
Go ahead, it’s what The Weeknd would have wanted.
Looking for more 360 VR? Check out Foals’ “Mountain At My Gates”also from “The Hills” production company United Realities, or Björk’s "Stonemilker," a much more staid offering from director Thomas Andrew Huang.