- Source: Glassface
Glassface, also known as Josh Goldenberg, is an American multi-disciplinary artist.
He is known primarily for his directorial and editing work in music videos and commercials. Notable credits include the music videos for "U Guessed It" by OG Maco, and "One Night" by Lil Yachty.
Early life
Goldenberg was born in a small town in upstate New York.
He took an early interest in hip-hop, which he credits to being raised by a jazz guitarist for a father and speech therapist for a mother. He studied electronic media, arts, and communication in college. Shortly after graduating, Goldenberg moved to New York City and worked in graphic design and branding for advertising agencies, which he found “dry”.
Career
Seeking a creative outlet alongside his work in advertising, Goldenberg did video work and promotional materials for hip-hop artists including Flatbush Zombies and Schoolboy Q. Goldenberg began directing music videos under the name ‘Glassface’.
= Music videos
=In 2013, Goldenberg formed the directorial team GoldRush, composed of him and producer Rahil Ashruff. Alongside Ashruff, he shot music videos for various up-and-coming hip-hop musicians including Ab-Soul, Rome Fortune, and OG Maco.
In 2014, Glassface gained notoriety with the release of the music video for OG Maco’s debut single "U Guessed It". The video went viral, attaining over 73M views on YouTube and going as far as to be included on Rolling Stone’s list of the top 10 best music videos of that year.
The success of "U Guessed It" gained the attention of Lil Yachty, who reached out to Glassface via Twitter. This resulted in a collaboration between Lil Yachty and GoldRush on the video for "One Night", the lead single off of Yachty’s debut mixtape Lil Boat (2016).
The music video for "1 Night" was shot with the intent of creating an effect of “sensory overload”, full of “very meme-able and GIF-able material.” GoldRush was given near complete creative freedom on the project. The resulting video was another viral hit, having received over 131 million views on Lil Yachty’s YouTube channel as of 2023. Following "One Night", Glassface is credited on the videos for Lil Yachty's songs "66 (ft. Trippie Redd)", "Boom (ft. Ugly God)", and "Forever Young".
Glassface received a platinum plaque from the RIAA for his work on "One Night".
In 2019, he directed and edited the music video for "Jacques" by Tove Lo and Jax Jones.
= Music branding and artwork
=Glassface worked extensively with Ms. Lauryn Hill on branding and merch for her 2015 Small Axe Tour, as well as her 2016 Diaspora Calling Tour. He created the artwork Ms. Lauryn Hill’s 2016 release “Rebel / I Find It Hard To Say (Version)”.
Glassface worked with Kid Cudi to create the cover art for the debut single “Porsche Topless” off of Kid Cudi’s upcoming record Insano, his 9th studio album. In 2023, Kid Cudi revealed cover artwork Insano, with covers by Glassface and KAWS.
Glassface also collaborated with Kid Cudi on several designs for the first two seasons of the artist’s Members of the Rage clothing line collection in 2023.
Commercial work
Glassface has directed TV spots for brands like Nike and Adidas.
He has also created commercial digital art. In 2021, he partnered with Google to create Ultradreamer, a web series focused on mental health and creativity that was shot entirely on Google Pixel phones. That same year, he created an AR experience in partnership with Snap, After Pay, and JD Sports called "Enter New Worlds". It debuted in Times Square alongside a digital art piece by Glassface. The digital art piece was sold by JD Sports as a limited edition collectible.
In 2022, he created a mixed-media NFT to promote Snapple’s element flavors.
Glassface continues to do commercial work. As of 2023, Glassface is a free agent working with the commercial production company RYB.
Music
Glassface is a producer and singer/songwriter and has produced songs for artists including tobi lou, DRAM, Chief Keef, and Young Thug. His music has been used in the soundtracks of OVO’s Top Boy and Apple TV’s Loot (TV Series).
Glassface works frequently with Hip-Hop musician tobi lou. He has produced several songs with the artist, including “I Was Sad Last Night I’m Ok Now” and seven songs on tobi lou's debut album. Since 2007, Glassface has directed over twenty music videos for tobi lou.