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Hype Williams’ 7 Best Music Videos

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From a graffiti artist in Queens to a well-accomplished filmmaker, Hype Williams is an icon in the Hip Hop scene. The legendary director has undoubtedly been one of the most sought-after creative geniuses in the music industry for decades. Born Harold Williams, he rose to acclaim thanks to his ingenuity, as well as his impressive storytelling shorts. A classic example of his creativity and uniqueness is the music video for Busta Rhymes’ “Woo Hah.” Williams masterfully showcased his genius, giving birth to the cartoonishly magnified viewpoint of the rap songs from that era.

His work is known for its innovative visuals, high-energy editing, and star power. Williams’ clientele also cuts across some of the biggest names in Hip Hop and R&B, including The Notorious B.I.G., TLC, Missy Elliott, and Beyoncé. Overall, his work has had a lasting impact on the music video industry, and his videos continue to be enjoyed by many. Specifically, it is his artistic mind that earned him a 2017 recognition at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors, as well as BET’s Best Director Award. Here are seven of Hype Williams’ best music videos:

Read More: Jay-Z’s Monogram Taps Hype Williams & Curren$y For New Campaign

7. The Notorious B.I.G. – “Big Poppa” (1994)

“Big Poppa” is one of the most iconic Hip Hop singles of all time. The song firmly helped establish Biggie’s reign as a singular influence in hip-hop. Moreover, the video is focused primarily on the Notorious B.I.G., the party, and the crowd to highlight what it means to be Big Poppa. The legend is seen in a variety of lush settings, from a private lounge to a mansion. Williams’ use of slow-motion and close-ups helps to create a sense of wealth, status, and power. The video also features cameo appearances from Sean Combs, Busta Rhymes, and Mary J Blige. Indeed, on paper, it’s a regular video about living the fast life. However, Williams’ direction tells a succinct story about who would later become one of the greatest MCs of all time. 

Read More: Nicki Minaj Drops Off New Hype Williams-Directed Video For “Barbie Dreams”

6. Beyonce – “Drunk in Love” (2013)

Hype Williams has said that Beyoncé is his favorite artist to make videos for. The Grammy-winning “Drunk in Love” is a testament to their respective collaborative genius. The video uses a single location shot on the beach in Miami, as the two bounce off each other’s energies. In this simplistic, yet groundbreaking video, Hype Williams utilized close-up shots to evoke a sense of sensuality and desire. Beyoncé herself has also shared that the music video is one of her most personal, as it was her at her freest, at the time. In a chat with Out Magazine, she revealed that she didn’t want to overthink the video, and “really just tried to trust our instincts, embrace the moment, and keep it fun.” This evidently proved successful, as the music video is one of the most-watched in Williams’ catalog, with over 700 million YouTube views.

Read More: Hype Williams Compares “This Is America” To Nas & Diddy’s “Hate Me Now”

5. Kanye West – “Stronger”(2007)

Earning a diamond plaque in 2021, “Stronger” is a powerful and moving video that tells the story of Kanye West’s recovery in a technological medical facility. The video features West located in Japan, including in a hospital bed and a facility basement. In this iconic video, Hype Williams opted for symbolism and fade-out sequences. Consequently, this helped create a sense of emotional flashbacks and vulnerability.

Read More: Hype Williams’ 10 Dopest Old School Music Videos

4. TLC – “No Scrubs” (1999)

“No Scrubs” is a classic women’s empowerment anthem that still resonates today with its fun and catchy hook. The music video features TLC rejecting men who don’t meet their standards. To create this gem, Hype Williams used grayscale colors in order to make the singers pop. This helped create a captivating and empowering atmosphere where the singer looked and felt in control. The video also features a dance routine that is still imitated today, which is a testament to its legacy. 

3. Kanye West – “Diamonds From Sierra Leone” (2005)

The music video for “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” is an emotional and eye-opening one. It features Kanye West rapping about the strife of the oppressed and various institutions of the oppressor. The video covers the architectural layout of Prague, the oppressor, and their fondness for diamonds, as well as children in the background with bloody dark pupils. Williams uses black & white editing to emphasize certain emotions across the video and also to depict the race lens at the time.

2. 2Pac – “California Love” Ft. Dr. Dre (1995)

This West Coast anthem features 2Pac and Dr. Dre rapping about the beauty and danger of California. In the timeless video, the pair are seen saving women from the villains. The video immaculately embodies the set and styling of the 1985 Mad Max movie. Hype Williams also uses his storytelling expertise to expand on the partying and club lifestyle in the City of Angels. Furthermore, the use of both wide and aerial shots helps capture the “Wild West” theme. It is undeniably one of Williams’ most memorable videos in existence.

1. Missy Elliott – “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” (1997)

Missy Elliot has been at the forefront of innovative music videos since her debut. Notably, “The Rain” was a groundbreaking track from Missy’s 1997 album, Supa Dupa Fly. Consequently, the music video could also be argued to have helped launch her career as a visual artist. It was also Missy Elliott’s first project with Hype Williams. The video showed Missy rapping and dancing in a variety of futuristic and surreal settings. Most notably, the inflated black leather suit she dons remains a piece of pop culture over the decades. Elliott has since revealed the hilarious tidbit about the iconic suit. Williams’ use of special effects and innovative camera angles helped to create a visually stunning music video way ahead of its time.

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Kai Cenat Directing A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Music Video, Shares BTS Footage

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Kai Cenat is arguably the biggest streamer around, especially thanks to his prominence in the rap sphere as of late. For example, a video showed him joining A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie for a studio session, where the rapper previewed some new music for him. Apparently, the Twitch giant liked what he heard so much that he wanted to support his fellow New Yorker in bigger ways. Moreover, he recently uploaded behind-the-scenes footage of him on a music video set for A Boogie– one that he’s apparently directing. In the short clip, you can see the desired shot on the camera display, as well as various tech set-ups for lighting, sound, and much more.

While it’s a brief look into Kai Cenat’s directorial beginnings, it’s still exciting to see him level up while not losing touch with what propelled him to fame. After all, this week went wild with hilarious footage and juicy gossip surrounding his 24-hour stream with Offset. As such, it seems like the 21-year-old is balancing out those worlds quite well so far, opening big doors for himself along the way.

Read More: A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Drops Off 3-Track “B4 BOA” EP

Kai Cenat At The Helm Of A Boogie’s Next MV

However, this shouldn’t be surprising at all for people well-versed in Kai Cenat’s content. The social media star recently broke into the film industry with his short film Global Pursuit, a buddy cop action comedy reminiscent of classics like Rush Hour. Not only that, but he even got a cameo from Lil Yachty for it, who’s done his part to boost Cenat’s profile in his own right. Yachty could’ve brought out anyone to perform during his Rolling Loud set, but he chose Kai.

Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how this MV plays out, and what the NYC native has planned for the future. Sure, his path to stardom hasn’t been without speed bumps, such as his chaotic giveaway event in his home city. That being said, that affects pretty much every celebrity at one point, and it surely won’t be the last controversy he has to face. One thing’s for sure, though: he wants to be much bigger than a reactor or content creator at this point. For more news and the latest updates on Kai Cenat and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, check back in with HNHH.

Read More: Kai Cenat Hits Offset’s Blunt, And It Made Their Stream Even More Hilarious

The post Kai Cenat Directing A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Music Video, Shares BTS Footage appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Kanye West’s Jonah Hill & “21 Jump Street” Post Gets Response From Directors

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Kanye West’s return to Instagram, thanking Jonah Hill in the film 21 Jump Street for making him “like Jewish people again” got a response from the film’s directors. Moreover, it was a pretty weird and still incredibly tone deaf post that caused many to clown or further criticize him. Still, as many fans pointed out, he could’ve said much worse. “Watching Jonah Hill in 21 Jump street made me like Jewish people again,” the Chicago rapper wrote. “No one should take anger against one or two individuals and transform that into hatred towards millions of innocent people. No Christian can be labeled antisemite knowing Jesus is Jew. Thank you Jonah Hill I love you.”

Furthermore, both Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (who directed the film) had cheeky, brief, and comical responses to Ye’s proclamation. “Um… thanks for watching?” Miller tweeted with a screenshot of the post in question. On his end, Lord retweeted and replied to a tweet asking if there’s anything the directing duo can’t do. “Laughter is the best medicine,” Phil commented in response. However, Hill hasn’t spoken on that message yet, presumably because he doesn’t have social media.

“21 Jump Street” Directors Respond To Kanye West

Of course, it was only a matter of time before Kanye made some form of a comeback on social media, if only in the literal sense. He’s been laying relatively low for the past few months, with his most discussed behavior being his paparazzi interactions while out with wife Bianca Censori. While he’s not making the explosive and combative statements that sent public goodwill through a downward spiral, this seemed backhanded to many out there. More than that, it doesn’t indicate any understanding of wrongdoing, although it’s the typical Gram antic from the Yeezy mogul at this point.

Meanwhile, Amber Rose and Julia Fox both shared their experiences dating the 45-year old on the latter’s Forbidden Fruits podcast. Moreover, they discussed his tendency to make everything about him, whether it’s playing his music all the time or being the most well-known person in the room. Regardless, it’s clear that some of that attitude translates into him believing his Jonah Hill shout-out was warranted. Check out Miller’s response below and, for the latest news and updates on Kanye West, stick around on HNHH.

Ye’s Jonah Hill Shoutout Gets Response From Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

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NBA YoungBoy & Birdman Move Forward With “Baller Blockin 2”

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NBA YoungBoy and Birdman are moving ahead on the sequel to the cult classic film, Baller Blockin. On Sunday, it was announced that Clifton Bell would be joining the movie as the director. He’s previously worked on videos with J. Cole, T.I., Rick Ross, The Roots, Bobby Shmurda, Gucci Mane, and many more. Most recently, he teamed up with Latto for “Sex Lies” with Lil Baby.

YoungBoy and Birdman first announced they were working on the film on social media in October by teasing a poster for the sequel. Featuring the title in bold red, it also contains the city of New Orleans in the background. While YoungBoy hails from Baton Rouge, Birdman was born and raised in New Orleans.

YoungBoy On Stage

ATLANTA, GA – NOVEMBER 29: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Rapper NBA YoungBoy performs onstage during Lil Baby & Friends concert to promote the new release of Lil Baby’s new album “Street Gossip” at Coca-Cola Roxy on November 29, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Baller Blockin was released in December 2000, detailing life in the city’s notorious Magnolia Projects. The original movie starred Lil Wayne, Juvenile, B.G., Turk, Mannie Fresh, Birdman, and more. The Cash Money Millionaires handled the soundtrack. Nas, E-40, UGK, 8Ball & MJG, and Mack 10 also contributed to the songs released for Baller Blockin.

While Lil Wayne starred in the first film, Birdman recently noted that there are a lot of similarities between YoungBoy and the legendary rapper. Speaking with Billboard, he explained: “Watching how fast he do music and the value of the music, I saw a lot of similarities between him and Wayne. I seen stardom in him, but I knew it was a process.”

On the music front, YoungBoy released his first album of 2023, I Rest My Case, last month. The 19-track project is the rapper’s first release through Motown since joining the label in October. It features production from Jason “Cheese” Goldberg, alongside D-Roc, DJ Trebble, Dmac, Kid Krazy, Powers Pleasant, TnTXD, Wayv, and Yo Benji. The album debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 after moving 29,000 copies in its first week.

“Baller Blockin 2” Poster

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Michael Jackson Biopic Gets Green Light, Antoine Fuqua As Director

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Production company Lionsgate just greenlit a biopic on Michael Jackson’s life and artistry and found its director. Moreover, Antoine Fuqua will direct, who previously helmed Emanciption and Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers. As Deadline reports, the tentative title for the upcoming film is Michael.

VARIOUS, VARIOUS – JUNE 25: Michael Jackson performs in concert circa 1986. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Additionally, the report shared some other details about the movie’s production and crew. John Logan (They/Them, Skyfall) will write the script, with production handled by Graham King of Bohemian Rhapsody for GK Films. Also, producers include co-executors of the King of Pop’s estate, John Branca and John McClain.

Furthermore, sources told Deadline that the upcoming film will cover the highs and lows of Jackson’s musical legacy. However, it also plans to address the accusations of pedophilia, grooming, and misconduct that have defined public discourse around him for years now.

Meanwhile, Fuqua will dive into Michael after production wraps up for his next film, The Equalizer 3 with Denzel Washington. Moreover, GK Films’ previous music biopic Bohemian Rhapsody raked in a whopping $900 million in worldwide gross sales. Still, that film was pretty polarizing, so Michael has big shoes to fill, but bigger ones to prove wrong.

“The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are a deep part of who I am,” said Fuqua. Before his breakout film Training Day in 2001, he started directing videos for Prince, Lil Wayne, Stevie Wonder, and more.

“For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson,” he continued. “I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work – the first Black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV. His music and those images are part of my worldview, and the chance to tell his story on the screen alongside his music was irresistible.”

What do you think of the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic and its new director? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments down below. Also, as always, come back to HNHH for the latest news on music history in pop culture.

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