If you wondered how SZA was going to bring her latest hit, “I Hate U,” to life, she’s now dropped a video for the one-time SoundCloud loosie on YouTube. Dubbed a “visualizer,” the new video finds leading-man LaKeith Stanfield engaged in a heated argument over the phone on a scenic oceanfront. Clearly frazzled by the episode, after hanging up, he receives a simple text message from SZA, whose photo is his wallpaper. You can guess what the text says.
Marking the video as “Part 1” on Instagram and concluding it with a message that it’s “Not the end,” SZA is teasing a follow-up to the clip. “I Hate U” was directed by Jack Begert, who has collaborated with SZA’s Top Dawg Entertainment label-mates including Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, SiR and Jay Rock on music videos for songs like “King’s Dead” and “Hair Down.”
Initially shared by SZA last August, “I Hate U” came along with two other songs in a SoundCloud “dump” of “random thoughts.” In December, it was officially released as a single on all streaming platforms after fans showed it a lot of love via TikTok. “I jus wanted somewhere to dump my thoughts w out pressure… y’all made it a thing and I’m not mad lmao. Ask and u shall receive,” she wrote after its release. “I Hate U” became the most-streamed R&B song by a female artist on Apple Music in its first week, the company said.