Hype Williams: One of Hip-Hop's Greatest Creative Minds
Song of the week: Jay-Z - Big Pimpin’
If we’re gonna talk about Hype Williams this week, then we might as well run this one back. It’s one of the best videos he’s done, and I revisit it/this song every so often, because, why not?
“It’s just that Jigga man, Pimp-C, and B U N B”
Hype Williams is one of the most prolific music video directors ever. His work effectively transformed the way that we think of content and creativity forever.
He’s directed some of the biggest music videos, including Missy Elliott’s The Rain, Biggie’s One More Chance, and California Love by Dr. Dre & 2Pac, and has a litany of proteges who help carry his legacy forward.
With the recent release of Joe Freshgoods 1998 collection (more on that later), I wanted to take a moment to talk about the man who helped create the inspiration for the pack.
Hype’s contributions to the culture lay the groundwork for what we know today, and so y’all know what’s up. Let’s get into it…
In 1970…
Hype Williams, born Harold Williams, made his way into the world. He spent his childhood growing up in Queens, before eventually going to Delphi University to get his degree in film.
Around the same time he started college, Hype was carving out a path into the music industry by becoming a runner i.e. an intern for rappers like Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, and Public Enemy, according to his interview with Red Bull.
At the same time, many of his peers were also working to climb the ranks in the music industry, and eventually they became influential figures in the industry (managers, label execs, etc.)
With his peers in position of power, and their faith in him from the old days Hype was in a position to put his vision into the world. And, by 1994, he was the go to music director.
Hip-Hop was right in the middle of the golden era, and for the next six years he would go on to direct music videos for some of biggest stars from the 90s including Wu-Tang Clan, Jodeci, 2pac, Ice Cube, and JAY-Z.
A huge part of his influence on culture stems from…
His Technique.
Hype was known for introducing new elements to music videos including an innovative use of lenses.
In his work with Missy Elliott, Puffy & Mase, and others, Hype would use fisheye lenses to create a warped perspectives of the subject — almost giving the viewer the illusion that they are closer the artist than they actually are.
His music videos also had bold hues, and the talent wore clothing that gave the videos futuristic feel (credited to his frequent collaborator June Ambrose).
Remember the Shiny Suit era? That was Hype.
TLC’s costumes in No Scrubs? That was Hype.
His eye for detail was stellar. His sets were always top notch, and it was clear that he was ahead of his time.
In fact…
Hype Pioneered the “Big Budget” Music Video
“I pull up in Yachts so big that they try to hit me with boat fines/Hype Williams, Big Pimpin’ yea just like the old times” - Drake
Hype’s video’s were known to go over budget. Often by a lot.
However you can’t argue with results, and everytime consumers saw his work they were enamored with it. That meant labels kept paying.
That was also the case for Rocafella.
In 2000, Jay-Z tapped Hype Williams to film the video for single “Big Pimpin” and it became the the first Hip-hop music video with a budget of $1 million.
They shot the video at Carnival in Trinidad, rented a yacht, and flew an entire crew out for what turned out to be a legendary video that created a standard for what 4m inute music videos could be.
Fun Fact: Pimp C actually missed the original videoshoot. Hype had to shoot his part in Miami at a later date. Peep the video below for context.
With all of this in mind, let’s rewind for a sec.
There’s another large piece of Hype’s lore that we haven’t covered yet dating back to 1998. That was the year that Hype gave us…
BELLY.
Belly is widely considered a cult classic in the Black community, and it’s one of Hip-hop’s greatest films.
It featured DMX and Nas in the same movie who were mega stars in the culture, and it had a dope soundtrack.
Belly showed just how much Hype Williams could do with his own full-length film project.
Belly’s presence is still inspiring the new generation too…
Most recently ‘Belly’ inspired a new collection of sneakers entitled the 1998 pack from New Balance’s creative director Joe Freshgoods.
The collection included 3 pairs of shoes: A primarily white pair, a primarily black pair, and an all blue colorway affectionately known as “Keisha Blue”.
As for the Keisha Blue colorway, remember: Hype William productions were always known for their incredible lighting.
Anyone who’s watched Belly can tell you about the lighting that introduced us to one of the stars of the film, Taral Hicks, who played Keisha (seen below)
Hence, The Keisha Blue New Balances….
If the collection itself wasn’t enough, Hype even shouted out Joe for using the film as inspiration on Instagram.
For almost a decade, Hype was on a roll…
Everyone wanted a one of his videos to accompany their album. Having a Hype Williams directed video meant that the label poured money into your project; It mean the quality was there.
but then the industry took a shift…
By the mid-2000s album budgets were starting to twindle.
The rise of music streaming was slowly starting to buzz, and it was clear that a major shift was on the horizon.
With the shrinkage of music budgets, labels cut back on the amount of big budget videos. As a result, that meant less Hype Williams videos in the long run.
However, even in the 2000s he still directed iconic videos for artists like Neyo, Beyonce, Busta Rhymes, and more. Some of his best videos in the 2000s included:
Neyo - So Sick
Drake - Forever
Kanye West - Diamonds
Jay-Z - Empire State of Mind
EPILOGUE
Hype Williams is still very active in the world of art & media, especially in Hip-hop.
In 2019, he worked with the late Virgil Abloh on “Bricks” & just two years ago Tom Brady tapped him to work on the Brady Golf collection.
Around that same time, Hype’s frequent collaborator Jay-Z reached out for a campaign called “The Good Life, Redefined” which featured lifestyle photography paying homage to legendary photographer Slim Aarons and his series “Poolside Gossip”
All of which was done for Jay’s cannabis brand Monogram.
In short, Hype is a busy man.
If you check his IG you’ll see that he’s still doing covers for Complex photographing stars like Ice Spice, working with BET, and penning essays.
He’s one of the GOATs of this culture.
If you haven’t seen his work before check it out.
One.