DVD: Music Reviews [Hype Williams: The Videos]
Hype Williams: The Videos
Palm Pictures
By Erin Broadley
From
the director who set new standards for hip-hop music videos comes this
DVD, chock full of some of the most popular videos of the past decade,
along with insightful commentary from the man who created them. For fans
and film students like, this collection also allows viewers to follow
the development of Williams’ signature style as it progresses from
video to video. . Williams’ choice in subject matter varies from
artist to artist, but certain themes and techniques become consistent
cornerstones: Las Vegas gangster glamour (Mase’s "Feel So Good" and
Nas’ "Street Dreams"); willing women and white sands (Jay Z’s
"Big Pimpin" and Ja Rule’s’ "Holla, Holla"); and fish-eye angles
and disjointed dance moves (Busta Rhymes’ "Put Your Hands Where My
Eyes Can See" and TLC’s "No Scrubs"). With its seductive, saturated
colors and tribal exoticism, Rhymes’ "Put Your Hands…" may be
the most creative and visually captivating video in this collection. For
those who favor a more simplistic, direct element to music videos, there’s
always the Wu Tang Clan’s hard-hitting "Can it be So Simple,"
a video set in a street environment that lacks the glitzy gangster overload.
Bonus footage on this DVD includes Williams’ informative and amusing
commentary on each video, along with a behind-the-scenes look at a music
video and Williams’ own bio and videography. While Williams may at
times suggest that life is one big beach party, his sober and reflective
words help clarify that his work is more a vision of rap-star fantasy.
Article posted on 7/2/2004
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