Phillip Chbeeb Mesmerizes in Ed Sheeran's New Vid

August 10, 2014

People always talk about the communicative power of contemporary dance, about the way it lets dancers channel their emotions into movement. But I think hip hop is equally great for storytelling. It can be subtler and wittier than other styles, which is often just as effective when you’re trying to convey aspects of character.

Case in point: Ed Sheeran’s video for “Don’t,” starring hip-hop phenom Phillip Chbeeb, who may or may not be superhuman. Over the course of the song, Phillip evolves from a shirtless down-on-his-luck dude to a mogul in a designer suit—and somehow, he manages to transform his movement to reflect each step he takes up in the world. It’s unlike pretty much any other music video I’ve seen. (Oh, and never fear, ladies: Ed Sheeran himself makes a cameo at 2:00.)

Take a look!