INSIDE COTTONMOUF’S “GET LIKE ME”: IDENTITY, POWER, AND PLACE
“Get Like Me” constructs identity as a site of performance, fracture, and return. Set in East New York, Brooklyn, the work operates less as a music video than as a spatial essay—where character, environment, and authorship are inseparable systems of image-making.
Directed by Da, with cinematography, editing, and prop design by Elsa Wong, the work situates CottonMouf within a lived geography that leans into its own rhythm. The neighborhood is not framed as backdrop, but as active structure: shaping rhythm, movement, and the logic of appearance itself.
The video follows the artist through different personas: the it girl, the boxer inspired by Mike Tyson, who is also from East New York, and the bride who ultimately chooses herself. Each version shows a different side of her personality and power. “Styling was a big part of bringing these characters to life, and many of the pieces actually came from my own wardrobe,” says Da.
“Pulling inspiration from the ’90s, the era when CottonMouf was born, was essential in shaping the visual language. We leaned into Y2K and lo-fi aesthetics to match the artist’s eclectic energy. Working alongside my director of photography was key to realizing the vision. Her background in set design and photography added to the experimental quality I was looking for”.
ABOUT THE CREATORS BEHIND THE VISUALS
DA | DIRECTOR / WRITER / STYLIST / DESIGNER
Da (they/them) is a Singaporean-born director, creative, and art director based in Brooklyn, New York. Working across image-making, styling, and narrative, they approach each project as part of the same visual language. Their work is drawn to tension: between control and chaos, performance and vulnerability, clarity and distortion.
Growing up as a Singaporean Chinese creative in Southeast Asia and working across cultures shaped the way Da sees storytelling. Their work often explores identity as something fluid rather than fixed. Whether directing music videos or building visual worlds through styling, they are interested in work that feels instinctive, emotionally charged, and slightly off-balance in the right way.
Da believes the strongest creative work comes from a willingness to get uncomfortable.
ELSA WONG | DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY / EDITOR / PROP DESIGN
Elsa Wong is a Singaporean multidisciplinary creative based in New York City, working across art direction, set design, photography, and filmmaking. Her work explores themes of fairy tale and performance, creating surreal, emotionally charged environments inspired by cinema and bold visual storytelling. She was formerly Head of Visual Communications at Youths In Balaclava, with work presented at Paris Fashion Week and Dover Street Market. Her projects have been featured in i-D, FZINE Singapore, NOWNESS Asia, and the Asian Film Archive. Her film hard boil, soft centre screened at Queer East Festival, London 2025, and she was recently commissioned by the Singapore Biennale for Matter Matters, an exhibition by Asian Film Archive.
ABOUT COTTONMOUF
CottonMouf emerges from East New York, Brooklyn as a figure shaped by dual registers: visibility and self-construction. Initially forming an independent modeling practice outside traditional systems, her image circulated through both editorial and commercial spaces while remaining largely self-directed.
Her transition into music extends this logic rather than departing from it. Across releases including Snakes and Ladders and Hothead, her work moves through hip-hop, house, techno, and experimental rap without settling into genre containment. The sound reflects a broader underground condition—fluid, unstable, and resistant to classification. Her practice operates as a continuation rather than a shift: image, sound, and persona functioning as interconnected forms of authorship.
“When CottonMouf sent over the track, ‘Get Like Me’ immediately stood out. The chorus stuck with me instantly, and I was drawn to the idea of amplifying the different versions of herself already living inside the music. Throughout the video, she moves through a series of personas: the it girl, the boxer inspired by fellow East New York native Mike Tyson, and the bride surrounded by endless suitors and attention, only to ultimately choose herself.
That idea of self-definition became the emotional core of the project. Each character represents a different kind of confidence, performance, and control. Styling played a huge role in shaping those identities, with many of the looks pulled directly from my own wardrobe to keep the world personal and instinctive rather than overly polished.
Visually, we pulled from ’90s and Y2K references, the era CottonMouf was born into, leaning into lo-fi textures and saturated imagery to match her energy. Working closely with my director of photography, whose background is rooted in set design and photography, helped push the visual language into something more experimental and alive.
The shoot itself was intentionally lean, with Elsa and me operating as the only crew. That limitation became part of the process. We stayed responsive to the neighborhood, the light, and whatever unfolded naturally around us, allowing the camera to move with the energy of the environment rather than control it.”
- Da, Director
Director & Writer: @da4a4a4aDp: @elsssssssaaaaaStylist: @da4a4a4aTitles & Design: @da4a4a4aEdit & Grade: @elsssssssaaaaa --- Shoe Prop Design: @elsssssssaaaaa --- Offline Edit: @elsssssssaaaaa + @da4a4a4aPhotography & Edit: @elsssssssaaaaaBTS Photography: @da4a4a4aNail Artist: @joellesbosomMakeup & Hair: @cottonmouf__Accountability Stencil: @betsyjohnson_Artist: @cottonmouf__Beat Producer, Mixed and Mastered: @stonebrownstudiosSound Producer: @djfritzoSpecial thanks: LindenWood Diner and Habib Livonia DeliLocation: East New York, Brooklyn