Ye — OK, Reimagined
My AI-assisted cartoon interpretation, inspired by Samurai Jack. A personal experiment, shared by Ye.
I grew up watching Cartoon Network. The swords in OK immediately made me think of Kill Bill and Samurai Jack. I was already experimenting with AI cartoon styles, and the ideas connected: what would this music video look like as a Cartoon Network episode?
I kept Ye, Don Toliver and the doves central to my interpretation, while taking the action further. Giving Ye an active role in the fight was part of making the story my own.
Recognition / 1.7M views / 17K+ likes
Shared by Ye.
The reel was already picking up views before Ye shared it on his Instagram story. It went on to reach 1.7 million views and over 17,000 likes, with likes and shares continuing two weeks later.
Instagram video totals as of September 2026. The capture below shows Ye's share.
Archived Instagram story — shared by Ye.
Visual inspiration
The Samurai Jack connection.
Samurai Jack was my starting point for the character style and action. Its graphic shapes, expressive poses and bold compositions capture the Cartoon Network feeling I wanted to bring to Ye and Don Toliver's world.
Character & environment development
Building the visual world.
I developed AI-generated character and environment references to establish the visual direction for my interpretation of OK.
Multiple angles, expressions and costume details.
A second lead within the same visual language.
A single red rose against the muted interior.
White feathers, red ground and a setting sun.
Concept & art direction
An idea put in motion.
I developed the story with ChatGPT and used AI to explore the characters and generate the animation. I directed the character development through feedback on Ye and Don Toliver's likeness and the Samurai Jack-inspired visual language. Generating two versions per scene gave me alternatives to compare.
I first published the film as an Instagram Trial Reel to test the creative direction before a final refinement pass. The version Ye shared was that initial experiment.
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