(December
31, 2000 - January 1, 2001) YEAR-END REVIEW
As another year comes to a close, we look back at another great year for
Hype Williams. He directed roughly 20 new videos in 2000,
including his first rock video, Ex-Girlfriend by No
Doubt, and notable videos for Busta Rhymes (Get Out,
Fire) and DMX (What These Bitches Want,
Do You), just to name a few. My personal favorites
include Ex-Girlfriend (No Doubt), Big Pimpin'
(Jay Z), and Why Didn't You Call Me (Macy Gray).
My least favorite video was Get Out (Busta Rhymes).
In 2000, Hype also branched out to other forms of creativity including
photography (photographing artists such as Aaliyah, TLC, Kelis, and DMX
for Interview & Vibe magazines),
directed a commercial for Mastercard, and even art directed a
fashion show for designer Julien Macdonald in February. To
top it off, it was announced that Hype will develop a hiphop soap
opera-type show for the UPN network for the 2001-02 season.
This, and his previously announced plans to direct a movie for New
Line Pictures, should be keeping Hype busy for much of 2001.
(December 13,
2000) R. KELLY VIDEO APPEARS ON "SHAFT" DVD
The Hype Williams-directed video for R.Kelly's Bad Man
(from the movie Shaft) appears on the movie's DVD release, which
came out yesterday in stores.
(December 12,
2000) NEW JA RULE VIDEO
As reported earlier, Hype Williams directed the new video Put It
On Me by Ja Rule feat. Lil' Mo & Vita. The
video premiered today on BET's
Rapcity as well as MTV's
Direct Effect.
(thanks to Clint & Keenon for the info)
(December 3,
2000) NEW HYPE WILLIAMS VIDEOS
Hype Williams directed the new video for up and coming artist Crystal
Sierra feat. Stylez Skillz entitled Playa No More.
This video, as well as the Hype Williams-directed video for So
Plush's Things I've Heard Before, were aired on BET's
new video show BET Next.
(thanks to Carla & Kevin H. for the info)
(November 23,
2000) HYPE WILLIAMS
DIRECTS NEW JA RULE VIDEO
Hype Williams was in Florida earlier this week to shoot the next video
by Ja Rule.
(thanks to JB for the info)
(November 13,
2000) HYPE WILLIAMS
VIDEO WINS AT 2000 BILLBOARD MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS
The 2000 Billboard Music Video Awards were handed out this past
Friday in Los Angeles and the Hype Williams-directed video Why
Didn't You Call Me by Macy Gray won the award for Best
Pop New Artist Clip. Hype was also nominated for Director of
the Year, but lost to Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris. Click
here for full list of nominees & winners.
(November 5,
2000) HYPE WILLIAMS-DIRECTED VIDEO TO APPEAR ON BABYFACE
GREATEST HITS VIDEO
MTV.com reported a few
weeks ago that Babyface is scheduled to release a greatest hits
album in the next few weeks. A companion video & DVD entitled Babyface:
A Collection of Videos will be released December 5, and will include
the Hype Williams-directed This Is For The Lover In You.
(November 3,
2000) NEW FUNKMASTER FLEX & DMX VIDEO DEBUTS ON MTV
The new Hype Williams-directed Funkmaster Flex & DMX video Do
You premiered November 1 on MTV's
Direct Effect. As reported earlier, the performance-based
video was shot in early October at Toronto's Skydome stadium.
(thanks to Robin for the info)
(October 27,
2000) EUR: HYPE WILLIAMS TO DEVELOP HIP-HOP SOAP OPERA FOR
UPN NETWORK
The 10-26-00 edition of EUR
(Electonic Urban Report) reports that Hype Williams is set to
produce a new hip-hop soap opera for the UPN Network:
UPN BELIEVES THE HYPE: Video
director to develop Hip-Hop drama.
It seems as though people over at UPN didn't listen to Public Enemy at
all. They DO believe the hype. Black Talent News reports that video
director Hype Williams, and Imagine Television have been tagged to
produce a hip-hop soap opera (likened to an urban "Melrose
Place") for the Fall 2001 season. The award-winning Williams, has
directed more than 200 music videos for top artists including DMX,
Busta Rhymes, Wyclef Jean and Sisqo. Williams also directed the 1998
feature film "Belly." It became infamous, because Magic
Johnson refused to show it in his theaters at the time.
(thanks to Keenon for the info)
(October 6,
2000) HYPE WILLIAMS TO DIRECT NEW GROOVE THEORY VIDEO
Rumor has it that Hype Williams will direct the upcoming Groove
Theory video 4 Shure.
(October 5,
2000) SO PLUSH VIDEO DEBUTS |
HYPE SHOOTING VIDEO IN TORONTO
A new Hype Williams-directed video for So Plush's Things I've
Heard Before debuted this past Friday on BET's
new live show 106 & Park Live.
(thanks to Clint for the info)
As reported a few days ago, Hype Williams
is in Toronto to shoot a new DMX video. Hype & Little X
appeared on Toronto radio station Energy 108 on Tuesday night to
invite people to go down to Sky Dome (sports stadium) on Wednesday
(yesterday) to appear as extras in the video. The video has a
performance portion and lots of extras were needed.
(thanks to Gleam for the info)
(October 4,
2000) MUCHMUSIC TO RE-AIR BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE FROM
WYCLEF VIDEO SHOOT
When Hype Williams went to Toronto this past June to film the Wyclef
Jean video It Doesn't Matter, Canadian music channel MuchMusic
went along to shoot footage from the video shoot. The footage
aired in segments the following week on the music channel.
MuchMusic will re-air the footage as a half-hour special On The Set
With... Wyclef Jean on October 9 at 1:30pm.
(October 2,
2000) HYPE WILLIAMS IN TORONTO TO SHOOT NEW DMX VIDEO
Rumor has it that Hype Williams is in Toronto this week to shoot a new
video for DMX. The video shoot will take place this Wednesday at
Toronto's Sky Dome stadium.
(September 24,
2000) HYPE WILLIAMS TO BE FEATURED ON RAPCITY THIS WEEK |
NEW SAMSUNG COMMERCIAL
According to MuchMusic.com,
Hype Williams & Little X are scheduled to be featured on separate
episodes of MuchMusic's Rapcity sometime this week.
MuchMusic is Canada's music channel.
Hype Williams served as Creative Director
for the new Samsung commercial "Everyone's Invited",
which features American sprinter Michael Johnson running across a
cell phone. The commerical is currently airing during Olympics
coverage on NBC.
(September 22,
2000) NEW HYPE WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHS IN INTERVIEW MAGAZINE
As reported last month, Hype Williams was scheduled to do a photo-shoot
for Interview magazine. The photos have appeared in the new issue
of Interview magazine (October 2000; pg.212) which hits newstands
this week. The photo-shoot, entitled "Believe The Hype",
focuses on 11 hot female singers including Kina, Kelis, Lisa "Left
Eye" Lopes, Missy Elliott, Wynonna, Angie Stone, Aaliyah, Vita,
Destiny's Child, Macy Gray, and Nelly Furtado. The pictures are
definitely worth checking out.
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(September
19, 2000) HYPE TO DIRECT "SPEED RACER"
MOVIE?
Interesting (unconfirmed) news surfaced at the comics news
website AnotherUniverse.com
in its Daily Buzz section yesterday:
"Apparently, X-Men
producer Lauren Shuler-Donner just can't get enough of comic
book/animated heroes. She and Warner Bros. have tapped
writer-director Hype Williams to help them bring the
adventures of Speed Racer to the big screen."
(thanks to Otis for the info)
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(September 18,
2000) 2000 BILLBOARD
MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS
Nominations for the 2000 Billboard Music Video Awards have just
been announced and Hype Williams came up with four nominations,
including Director Of The Year for his work with Kelis's Caught
Out There and Macy Gray's Why Didn't You Call Me.
The awards will be handed out at the end of the Billboard Music Video
Conference, on November 12, in Los Angeles.
***Nomination***
Director Of The Year: Hype Williams (Caught Out There, Why
Didn't You Call Me)
***Nomination***
Best Pop New Artist Clip of the Year: "Why Didn't You Call
Me" - Macy Gray
***Nomination***
Best Pop New Artist Clip of the Year: "Caught Out
There" - Kelis
***Nomination***
Best R&B New Artist Clip of the Year: "Caught Out
There" - Kelis
(September 6,
2000) GQ ARTICLE | THE SOURCE |
NEW VIDEOS | MULTIMEDIA VIDEO TRACKS
Hype Williams has written a page long article for this month's GQ
magazine. The article, about his directing technique and
inspiration, can be found on page 184 of the September 2000 issue of GQ,
and is entitled "Through a Lens, Widely".
There is a behind-the-scenes feature of
the making of DMX & Sisqo's What You Want video in the
September 2000 issue of The Source magazine (with LL Cool J on
the cover).
Hype is currently working on two new
videos: one for white rappers Outsiderz4Life and one for a new
girl R&B group So Plush.
In the past few months, I've seen CD
singles come out with a special multimedia track for videos of certain
songs that can be played on the computer. I've seen CD singles
from Europe (esp. Germany & UK) for Busta Rhymes's Get Out,
Macy Gray's Why Didn't You Call Me, No Doubt's Ex
Girlfriend, & Jay Z's Big Pimpin' which
include full videos for those particular songs. There might be
more that I am not aware of. They tend to have these special
features on European imports and less on North American single releases.
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