With his signature directorial style, Hype Williams ushered hip-hop and R&B into the new millennium visually. His work gave credence to the industry we experience today. In times of tech evolution, like at the cusp of the new millennium on the brink of the Internet, culture needs visionaries that usher in the new frontier. Influence belongs to the taste-makers.

Before MTV, music videos were uncommon in the American music industry. Maybe they worked in European markets, where U.S. labels sent clips of their artists overseas, but when the network launched in 1981 it was the first of its kind. A channel for rock and roll music videos as a platform for young adults. The first of its kind. American television of the time focused its programming on mass appeal. A niche network for a specific demographic was yet a new concept. Nickelodeon was a similar player in the space.

In the beginning, 80% of the network’s programming was music videos. The remaining time was filled with old footage from live concerts and clips from British artists. Hip-hop was still a new genre. MTV launched just two years after Sugar Hill Gang released “Rapper’s Delight”. Still, hip-hop’s DNA had already begun to set in, strengthened by subcultures emerging across New York City: graffiti, DJing, MCing and breakdancing.

When MTV established music videos in the U.S. it also changed the way music was promoted. With the release of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video in 1982 came a turning point for the art of video creation. Jackson’s use of special and visual effects set a new standard. By the late 90s, videos played a significant role in marketing rap music.

Soon MTV and networks like VH1 and BET were the main platforms for artists to promote their music in a culturally relevant way. In hip-hop the music defined the culture’s codes, then it was reinforced by the images in its music videos. A sort of “visual-musical projection of culture”.

When rap music became significant in the pop culture landscape, record labels allocated larger budgets to videos. In their prime, music videos helped create the visual identity of artists. As hip-hop evolved, it broke into sub-genres that could impact different sectors of the music industry.

Part of the reason this worked is because through the visuals of music rappers became uniquely positioned influencers, able to push brands of their choosing. They did this through personas brought to life on screen.

For perspective’s sake, the late 90s and early 00s also predicated a cultural shift sparked by modern technology. The Sims, for example, debuted in 2000 as one of the first games where users created a whole new identity. The rise of the Internet continued on in this fashion, with users creating online personas across social networks and other platforms today. Of course there was a larger change coming, one that would make big ticket music videos obsolete. But there at the offset no one knew what technology would bring.

Read: What Y2K Taught Us About the Metaverse

With his signature directorial style, Hype Williams ushered hip-hop and R&B into the new millennium visually. His work gave credence to the industry we experience today. With trends of Y2K famously re-emerging, it also laid the basis for visions of the future. In times of tech evolution, like at the cusp of the new millennium on the brink of the Internet, culture needs visionaries that usher in the new frontier. In hip hop, the future belongs to the tastemakers.

Hype Williams Defined the Genre Visually

It’s hard to tell what the future will bring when you’re right at the beginning of a thing. For those architects, the first step of tangible vision starts with imagination. Williams was a graffiti artist growing up in Queens, New York at the time hip-hop was on the rise. He studied at Adelphi University with dreams of being a filmmaker. Music videos were his way in. A small broadcast network gave him a shot on the show Video Music Box which showcased hip-hop music videos at a time before the genre got a chance on mainstream channels.

By 1998, Williams had directed more than 200 music videos. He was known for his big budget productions that emphasized fantasy and exotic locations. What worked was his ability to capture the essence of each artist with a perspective still rooted in his avant garde, afro-futuristic vision. Williams approached this experimentation as a filmmaker. He used his training to apply certain techniques as an extension of his storytelling. The message underscored that rap truly was “ghetto fabulous”, both edgy and luxurious.

His videos took on a distinct, provocative style through the use of techniques like wide angle shots, the fish eye lens and vibrant backdrops that set the tone for many Y2K aesthetic trends. While the videos became artistic mediums in their own right, they also solidified the concept of hip-hop as a lifestyle, with influence across industries outside of music. When he finally achieved his dream of filmmaking with Belly, Williams seamlessly translated the codes from his music videos to showcase hip-hop in a new breadth of expressions.

Belly was a pinnacle moment with regard to the possibility of hip-hop, proof that the culture translated across mediums. Proof that hip-hop is a lifestyle. In Belly, Williams extends his style of music videos into a 90-minute feature film and creates a new cinematic form. The movie unfolds much like a music video, led by provocative sound and image. The characters are amplified by Nas and DMX’s influence as rappers. It’s their personas that add another layer to the film that feels like capturing the true essence of hip-hop in a pop culture sense.

In a world where products like mp3 players, cell phones, digital cameras and GPS were new concepts, Hype Williams gave hip-hop and R&B a visual definition, something to attach the future to. No one could predict that the iPhone and Internet would completely recreate cultural industries like music and media. So the music video era was short-lived, but it was impactful.

In a world where products like mp3 players, cell phones, digital cameras and GPS were new concepts, Williams gave hip-hop and R&B a visual definition, something to attach the future to. No one could predict that the iPhone and Internet would completely recreate cultural industries like music and media. So the music video era was short-lived, but it was impactful.

How Tastemakers Can Shape the Future
What are the ways in which history repeats itself? With the introduction of revolutionary tech comes the opportunity for redefined culture. It makes room for the tastemakers to approach their work through the lens of artistic expression. Ultimately, Williams was a filmmaker with a perspective.

Part of why he was able to create impact with his work is because it pushed the bounds at a time when normal was up for grabs anyway. Technology was being defined in real-time. Same as Williams defining an art form that could lend itself to advertising. Seamless partnerships with brands in videos. Hip-hop as a lifestyle.

In more recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a cultural reset that was followed by a rise in “Metaverse” technologies. While society is years away from a Metaverse in its truest sense, there’s been progress against its pieces – the advancements that would allow such a thing to exist. Elements like digital goods and currencies and now, AI stand to make cultural impacts that usher in a new generation much like the Internet. What Hype Williams and other tastemakers represent is the lesson that trends are fueled by the evolution of cultural codes and the spark of a unique POV. Imagination rules.

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