How director Hype Williams changed hip-hop visuals forever
Hype Williams has had an enormous impact on hip-hop culture that is genuinely unquantifiable. From fashion to visuals, the videographer has contributed so much to hip-hop that it is hard to imagine what the genre would be without his involvement. Although he is known as a videographer, producer, and screenwriter to hip-hop fans, his contributions reach far beyond that. Williams brought something to rap music that many new fans take for granted: flair and, more importantly, vibrancy.
Despite the more edgy elements of hip-hop, when MCs recruited Hype Williams to craft a music video, he brought an unparalleled amount of dynamism which other directors couldn’t quite capture. Stylistically, he pushed some of the renowned rappers to embrace the weird and wonderful, and the results were often magical.
From Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott to Jay-Z and Kanye West, some of the artists he worked with changed their own views on what a hip-hop music video could incorporate. Years later, we can now see the result of what Williams’ bold moves did to the aesthetics of rap music.
With the rise of MTV and YouTube, people wanted to escape more than ever, and Hype Williams realised this earlier than most. Throughout the late ’90s and 2000s, the videographer thrust hip-hop fans into futuristic, strange, technicolour worlds that somehow matched the energy of hip-hop. Even when Williams directed more conventional videos, they produced a grandeur that many others couldn’t achieve.
The artists Hype Williams helped:
Jay-Z
One of the first major artists who called upon Williams was the billionaire emcee Jay-Z. The two collaborated for ‘Can’t Knock The Hustle’ and later Jay-Z’s ‘(Always Be My) Sunshine’ featuring Foxy Brown.
In an interview recalling the creation of his ‘Can’t Knock The Hustle’ music video, Jay-Z detailed, “It was the first time we worked together. ‘Can’t Knock The Hustle’ felt like cinema. We also have to talk about Malik [Hassan Sayeed], the cinematographer Hype worked with. The cinematography was just so beautiful, and the way it was shot just elevated it to another level.”
The ‘Marcy Me’ lyricist explained that whenever he worked with Hype Williams, he always had conviction about the creative decisions he was making. Recalling this, Hov reflected, “Hype definitely has a vision for what he wants to see. So he’d be like, “Yo, blow the smoke right here, and this is gonna be crazy. It’s going to be bananas!” But I don’t know if I was coachable as far as a performance at that time.”
He added, “I’m sure he coached Missy more or coached Busta more, and you could get more out of them. I don’t know if he could get more out of us at that time. And then it was like 30 of us, and all we wanted to do is laugh.”
Missy Elliot
One rapper that Hype Williams worked extensively with during the late ’90s was the one and only Missy Elliott. The female emcee’s videos are widely considered iconic, but speaking to Complex, the Virginia native credited Williams with some of her most memorable looks and videos.
Speaking about the lead single of her 1997 album, Supa Dupa Fly, Elliott revealed Williams took charge, remembering, “When we first met, Hype said he loved my music, and he felt that the video should reflect my sound, and for him, my music sounded futuristic. He was hype, so it makes sense that his name is Hype Williams. When he pitched the idea of the blow-up suit and the fisheye lens for ‘The Rain’, I wasn’t hesitant because I’ve always been a risk-taker. Nothing was off-limits to me visually.”
Missy admitted it was a match made in heaven as they “understood each other’s visions.” However, akin to many, she couldn’t overstate the impact the director has had on the culture, expressing, “Hype videos define so much in the culture of not just hip-hop music videos but all videos, period. He was very particular about the colour and texture of videos and making sure he was the first to do something.”
She continued, “He made sure he connected with the artist and that those videos showcased what type of artist you were. Hype fought for big budgets because he knew that these videos wouldn’t just be videos. They were going to be a work of art that will be studied when we are all long gone.”
A$AP Rocky
Although Hype Williams was most prevalent in the late 1990s and 2000s, he made some exciting videos in the 2010s, such as Kanye West’s ‘All Of The Lights’. He has been such a staple over the years that his work has impacted younger generations, including the Harlem native A$AP Rocky, who professed his love for the director and videographer.
Speaking about how Williams opened his eyes, Rocky told Complex, “I grew up on Hype Williams and loved his work ever since I was a kid. His visuals are very enticing, so when my development for film started to broaden I realised that he meticulously worked in similar ways to myself. He always assembles the best teams from the gaffers, first ADs, colourists, art department, cinematographers, etc., to get his vision across.”
The Long.Love.A$AP creator even unveiled his favourite Williams creation, stating, “My favourite Hype video is ‘Woo-Hah!!’ by Busta Rhymes. I think the reason I loved it is because I was a kid, so the vibrant colours and the fisheye lens really stood out to me. I think Busta’s charisma and Hype WIlliams’ direction was a perfect groundbreaking connection. I think Hype Williams is the godfather of hip-hop visuals. He takes iconic urban cinematography to another level.”