Hype Williams to be Honored at Lincoln Center

 •  XXL Magazine  •  by XXL Staff  •  13 Comments

hype.jpgGroundbreaking music video director Hype Williams will be honored tonight at New York’s Lincoln Center with a 90-minute presentation titled Believe the Hype: An Auteur Study of Hype Williams—The Best Who Ever Did It. The retrospective is being presented by Armond White, film critic for the New York Press, and is part Lincoln Center’s Scanners: 2006 New York Video Festival. During the program, White will explore Williams’ early work, career highlights and his award-winning work with artists such as Missy Elliot and Busta Rhymes. White will also take a look at the director’s split-screen montage that has become his new signature style. Williams made his directorial debut with Wu-Tang Clan’s 1994 video for “Can It All Be So Simple” and went on to become the premier music video director in hip-hop in the late ’90s.

  • http://xxlmag.com David G

    Hype Williams, is the smartest and most innovative music video director of the past 40 years. He has taken the art of directing videos to a new high.

  • lowlife

    1st;)

  • BirdsFlySouth

    honoring a dude for music videos? why?

  • BirdsFlySouth

    they can honor these nuts while their at it

  • Sonny Cheeba

    Bout time…

    Hype is just as important as a Jay-Z or a Dr. Dre or a Jimmy Iovine…

    Genius…

  • http://UG-RS.com Tyler

    Hype is cool. .I am still lookin’ 4 ‘dat next joint following up Belly called “Beast”. It should be crazy hot I hope anyway. Peep the heat at: http://www.myspace.com/marcmaysrockandrollthug
    http://www.myspace.com/marcusorealiusmusic

  • http://www.myspace.com/cleanzilla Zilla

    So let me get this straight:

    You’re going to honor a guy who, outside of a few Busta and Missy Elliot videos from 9 years ago, made the rap video what it is today: redundantly over the top.

    Here’s what you will find in EVERY Hype Williams video ever:
    1) a fish-eye lense (Busta used this on “Woo-Ha,” “Put Your Hands Where…” and “Dangerous”)
    2) a slow motion cigar smoke shot (Jay-Z “Big Pimpin,” Dr. Dre “Next Episode,” Slim Thug “I Ain’t Heard of That”)
    3) annoying ass white letterbox, or more recently extra shots doubling as the letterbox (Beyonce “Check on It,” Robin Thicke “Wanna Love You Girl,” Busta Rhymes “What It Is Right Now”)
    4) slow motion bikini/booty shots (I can’t think of one Hype Williams video that didn’t have this)

    It’s bad enough Hype Williams has been shooting the live action Speed Racer for years now. Now they’re rewarding a lazy director who’s only contribution to film starred T-Boz and DMX.

  • mr agee

    my very favorite shot in the wu video was method man with his son. seeing that shot makes me tear a bit cause it i used to hold my son like that when he was younger. what up messiah? do not worry you know the truth about what your mother actions.

  • mr agee

    will know (my bad)

  • My Big Balls

    Hype? Damn, I respect him but…Shit, I dn’t wanna hate but Paul Hunter is much better Director and Belly was wizack! Nas talking bout, “I wanna go to Africa” bullshit movie. I totally agree with Zilla with all his fisheye points.

  • nigga fo da north

    hypes got good videos but terror-o is my favorite

  • Teofilo

    Tyler:

    At the Armond White Autuer Study of Hype Williams in Lincoln Center this past july, Hype himself definitively stated (during a question and answer session after the presentation) that he will NOT direct a sequel to BELLY. Hype said that while he appreciates the following surrounding BELLY, directing a sequel would not fufill his artistic needs.

  • http://www.youtube.com/drhochifu hochi-fu

    i respet this nigga he is the revulution of videos, muito respeito