06/20/07 - Kanye West's 'Stronger' Video...

robby84 · 06-20-2007, 03:50 PM

Jun 20 2007

Japanese Motorcycle Gangs, Mad Scientists — And Cassie

MC premieres big-budget, Hype Williams-helmed clip in New York.

By Shaheem Reid

NEW YORK — With his determination to spare no expense in making his videos, chances are good that Kanye West is already a six-million-dollar man when it comes to spending money on his mini movies. But in his latest video endeavor, "Stronger," West conjures visions of Steve Austin, Lee Majors' "Six Million Dollar Man" character: The Louis Vuitton Don appears to be getting a few enhancements to his body.

On Tuesday night (technically Wednesday morning, as he was running a little late due to some last-minute edits), Kanye debuted the special-effects-filled video for "Stronger" at the Tribeca Cinemas. Legendary production duo and record label execs L.A. Reid and Babyface attended, as well as 'Ye's good friend Swizz Beatz.

"How you just gonna come up creepin'?" Swizz joked of Kanye's very low-profile entrance into his own affair. Swizz was standing outside, chatting with Hot 97's Miss Info, when Reid and Babyface pulled up to the red carpet in a black SUV. While attention was diverted to the legendary hitmaking duo, Kanye and his usual entourage (including longtime friend Don C) simply strolled to the door.

Inside, West thanked everyone for coming on such short notice. Make that almost no notice: E-mails about the gathering were sent out about five hours before the 9 p.m. "doors open" time, and warned people not to expect a night of dancing like at his recent birthday bash (which some say was the extravaganza of the year).

"This is not really a party, I just wanted y'all to see the video" before he left for Los Angeles a few hours later, 'Ye told the audience with a smile, noting "this is a rough [cut]" before the lights went low.

When it comes to "Stronger" — directed by Hype Williams, who also did West's recent "Can't Tell Me Nothing" clip — think longer. It took the pair some three months to make the video, from start to finish, and Kanye even had to convince Williams to stay on board because it was taking so long.

"Hype almost bailed three times," he divulged.

But Kanye also was proud of the fact that he had time to craft "Stronger" to his liking. "This is one of the first times we got to make a video like how we make music — we got to go back to it," he explained (see "Kanye, Cam'ron, More MCs Skip Million-Dollar Videos, Go Straight To The Web").

(Peep scorching pics from Kanye's "Stronger," video and see Cassie and L.A. Reid at its premiere.)

The MC also described the making of the video as part intricate planning, part run-and-gun, guerrilla-style shooting. They originally shot for nine days in Japan; the video's leading lady, singer Cassie, was called out on two days' notice and a genuine Japanese motorcycle gang was used in the video. For some scenes they knew exactly where they wanted to shoot, other shots were "stolen" in the streets — and they even had to ask friends for favors to film in locations such as the BAPE store and the BBC shop.

Among other challenges, Kanye had designs on specific Jeremy Scott shades to wear in one of his performance scenes — and it took him three months to find them, finally spying a pair in Paris. ("I wanted something you can't get in stores," he explained.)

Perhaps most challenging of all, when they started filming, Kanye hadn't even written the second verse of the song.

Later, there were five days of re-shoots because 'Ye said the neon colors in the video reminded him too much of the colors used in recent 50 Cent and Maroon 5 clips.

As he tells it, Kanye knew "Stronger" would be a hit after he played Williams the song's sampled loop, which is from Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (West's DJ, A-Trak, played him the original Daft Punk record on tour last year).

"There were no drums or anything yet," Kanye said. Hype got hyped and started giving 'Ye inspiration to go futuristic — not just for the video, but for his entire Graduation LP. 'Ye said that's when the album started taking shape, whereas earlier he'd been "aimlessly making songs" (see " Kanye West Says He's 'Ready To Take Over The World Once Again' ").

"It inspired a whole movement," West said. He went back to some of the songs he had recorded and redid parts of them, and also watched films like "Total Recall" for more ideas. He recalled that when he was writing "Stronger," he started thinking about what he considers some of his recent mistakes.

"I made so many mistakes the past year, I started swimming in wack juice I needed to get out of," he said. "I would read blogs and they would be like, 'His shoelaces are untied, he's a b---h." He added that Late Registration co-producer Jon Brion even hinted that West should try to make music that made people see him as less annoying.

But instead of apologizing, Kanye uses the song's first verse to vent frustration: "Bow in the presence of greatness/ 'Cause right now thou has forsakenness this/ You should be honored by my lateness/ That I would even show up to this fake sh--."

"Instead of coming with, 'Oh, I'm sorry,' that song is an emancipation," Kanye explained.

As for the video itself ... Well, there's no way we're going to make Kanye abruptly end his West Coast trip, pack his Louis Vuitton bags, get back aboard a private jet and come straight to the MTV offices because we gave away the whole thing. But we can tell you this: There is an emphasis on performance and looking fly. There is a huge special-effects segment where Daft Punk, dressed as helmet-clad scientists or doctors, are pushing buttons in a control room while a machine big enough to fit a truck inside is working on Kanye as he lays on a table with wires attached to him — wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.

When the clip was finished, one person in the theater yelled out, "Cassie! I think I love you!" But most of the praise and applause were directed at Mr. West and the video. "I'mma talk sh-- and play it again," he said.

No one left the theater.

source:

Rue_Kin · 06-20-2007, 03:54 PM

.... it betta be good'

Shady176 · 06-20-2007, 04:15 PM

Cot damn Kanye pulling out everything for this shit.

Zhiwai · 06-20-2007, 04:15 PM

Props on this

Kanyevil · 06-20-2007, 04:17 PM

damn its a hot track too

kanye doin his thing

cant wait for his album or this vid

Face.The.Pain · 06-20-2007, 04:17 PM

Propzzz yoo

Mail Man · 06-20-2007, 04:41 PM

the song sucks

Rick Styles · 06-20-2007, 04:53 PM

props lil nigga, gonna be hot.

Skinny11 · 06-20-2007, 04:56 PM

hope its better then cant tell me nothin vid, that vid was borin, hot song tho, lookin forward to this vid tho

ReppinDaBean · 06-20-2007, 05:14 PM

shit was too long to read but hope its good and cassie fuckin sucks

Behind Tha Beatz · 06-20-2007, 06:28 PM

Propzzzzzz Blackwallstreet Bitch

GMNRecordsCT3 · 06-20-2007, 08:44 PM

def gone be a hot vid...

Gttm303 · 06-20-2007, 09:04 PM

gotta be a good video , props

Think Muzik · 06-20-2007, 10:50 PM

his videos are just getting more expensive now arent they? lol

MC B STREETZ · 06-20-2007, 11:04 PM

vid gunna be gud

Gelz XXL · 06-21-2007, 12:29 AM

hope da video be better than his 1st one

Phantastik · 06-21-2007, 12:36 AM

lol i like how everyones saying "i hope its betta then the last"

big deal he had 1 boring video, just think of All his other videos, he always goes all out and makes hot videos for his music, and Stronger is straight up CRAZY, luv it.

Da Real Deal · 06-21-2007, 09:47 AM

Graduation>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Curtis

Stronger, Can't Tell Me Nothin>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Straight to the Bank, Amusement Park

Ed-ucation · 06-21-2007, 11:32 AM

props, hope the video is gonna be good

06-20-2007, 03:50 PM	#1
robby84 Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Queenz Bred, livin life in Y.O. Posts: 8,581 Repped: 3,246 Repped 13,909 Times in 1,126 Posts Neg Reps: 12 Neg Repped at 8 Times in 8 Posts	06/20/07 - Kanye West's 'Stronger' Video... 06/20/07 - Kanye West's 'Stronger' Video... Jun 20 2007 Japanese Motorcycle Gangs, Mad Scientists — And Cassie MC premieres big-budget, Hype Williams-helmed clip in New York. By Shaheem Reid NEW YORK — With his determination to spare no expense in making his videos, chances are good that Kanye West is already a six-million-dollar man when it comes to spending money on his mini movies. But in his latest video endeavor, "Stronger," West conjures visions of Steve Austin, Lee Majors' "Six Million Dollar Man" character: The Louis Vuitton Don appears to be getting a few enhancements to his body. On Tuesday night (technically Wednesday morning, as he was running a little late due to some last-minute edits), Kanye debuted the special-effects-filled video for "Stronger" at the Tribeca Cinemas. Legendary production duo and record label execs L.A. Reid and Babyface attended, as well as 'Ye's good friend Swizz Beatz. "How you just gonna come up creepin'?" Swizz joked of Kanye's very low-profile entrance into his own affair. Swizz was standing outside, chatting with Hot 97's Miss Info, when Reid and Babyface pulled up to the red carpet in a black SUV. While attention was diverted to the legendary hitmaking duo, Kanye and his usual entourage (including longtime friend Don C) simply strolled to the door. Inside, West thanked everyone for coming on such short notice. Make that almost no notice: E-mails about the gathering were sent out about five hours before the 9 p.m. "doors open" time, and warned people not to expect a night of dancing like at his recent birthday bash (which some say was the extravaganza of the year). "This is not really a party, I just wanted y'all to see the video" before he left for Los Angeles a few hours later, 'Ye told the audience with a smile, noting "this is a rough [cut]" before the lights went low. When it comes to "Stronger" — directed by Hype Williams, who also did West's recent "Can't Tell Me Nothing" clip — think longer. It took the pair some three months to make the video, from start to finish, and Kanye even had to convince Williams to stay on board because it was taking so long. "Hype almost bailed three times," he divulged. But Kanye also was proud of the fact that he had time to craft "Stronger" to his liking. "This is one of the first times we got to make a video like how we make music — we got to go back to it," he explained (see "Kanye, Cam'ron, More MCs Skip Million-Dollar Videos, Go Straight To The Web"). (Peep scorching pics from Kanye's "Stronger," video and see Cassie and L.A. Reid at its premiere.) The MC also described the making of the video as part intricate planning, part run-and-gun, guerrilla-style shooting. They originally shot for nine days in Japan; the video's leading lady, singer Cassie, was called out on two days' notice and a genuine Japanese motorcycle gang was used in the video. For some scenes they knew exactly where they wanted to shoot, other shots were "stolen" in the streets — and they even had to ask friends for favors to film in locations such as the BAPE store and the BBC shop. Among other challenges, Kanye had designs on specific Jeremy Scott shades to wear in one of his performance scenes — and it took him three months to find them, finally spying a pair in Paris. ("I wanted something you can't get in stores," he explained.) Perhaps most challenging of all, when they started filming, Kanye hadn't even written the second verse of the song. Later, there were five days of re-shoots because 'Ye said the neon colors in the video reminded him too much of the colors used in recent 50 Cent and Maroon 5 clips. As he tells it, Kanye knew "Stronger" would be a hit after he played Williams the song's sampled loop, which is from Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (West's DJ, A-Trak, played him the original Daft Punk record on tour last year). "There were no drums or anything yet," Kanye said. Hype got hyped and started giving 'Ye inspiration to go futuristic — not just for the video, but for his entire Graduation LP. 'Ye said that's when the album started taking shape, whereas earlier he'd been "aimlessly making songs" (see " Kanye West Says He's 'Ready To Take Over The World Once Again' "). "It inspired a whole movement," West said. He went back to some of the songs he had recorded and redid parts of them, and also watched films like "Total Recall" for more ideas. He recalled that when he was writing "Stronger," he started thinking about what he considers some of his recent mistakes. "I made so many mistakes the past year, I started swimming in wack juice I needed to get out of," he said. "I would read blogs and they would be like, 'His shoelaces are untied, he's a b---h." He added that Late Registration co-producer Jon Brion even hinted that West should try to make music that made people see him as less annoying. But instead of apologizing, Kanye uses the song's first verse to vent frustration: "Bow in the presence of greatness/ 'Cause right now thou has forsakenness this/ You should be honored by my lateness/ That I would even show up to this fake sh--." "Instead of coming with, 'Oh, I'm sorry,' that song is an emancipation," Kanye explained. As for the video itself ... Well, there's no way we're going to make Kanye abruptly end his West Coast trip, pack his Louis Vuitton bags, get back aboard a private jet and come straight to the MTV offices because we gave away the whole thing. But we can tell you this: There is an emphasis on performance and looking fly. There is a huge special-effects segment where Daft Punk, dressed as helmet-clad scientists or doctors, are pushing buttons in a control room while a machine big enough to fit a truck inside is working on Kanye as he lays on a table with wires attached to him — wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. When the clip was finished, one person in the theater yelled out, "Cassie! I think I love you!" But most of the praise and applause were directed at Mr. West and the video. "I'mma talk sh-- and play it again," he said. No one left the theater. source: __________________ Most loved/Hated Moderator "Stop Bitchin" - Robby

06-20-2007, 04:15 PM	#3
Shady176 Def Jam Intern Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 1,545 Repped: 15 Repped 367 Times in 18 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Cot damn Kanye pulling out everything for this shit. __________________

06-20-2007, 04:41 PM	#7
Mail Man Veteran Join Date: May 2006 Location: C-bridge Posts: 2,488 Repped: 174 Repped 263 Times in 92 Posts Neg Reps: 7 Neg Repped at 11 Times in 7 Posts	the song sucks __________________ [IMG]<a href="http://www.rewards1.com/index.php?referrer_id=16074" target="_blank"><img[/IMG]

06-20-2007, 04:56 PM	#9
Skinny11 chain smokin purple haze Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: chi town Posts: 3,353 Repped: 2,216 Repped 251 Times in 124 Posts Neg Reps: 10 Neg Repped at 11 Times in 8 Posts	hope its better then cant tell me nothin vid, that vid was borin, hot song tho, lookin forward to this vid tho __________________ 615 Ca$hville Records..Young Buck..Realest nigga in the game..Hottest in the south..Fuck G-Unit

06-20-2007, 08:44 PM	#12
GMNRecordsCT3 Macaroni wit the Cheeesse Join Date: May 2005 Location: Wash Heights, NYC Posts: 17,607 Repped: 6,779 Repped 2,309 Times in 618 Posts Neg Reps: 202 Neg Repped at 50 Times in 40 Posts	def gone be a hot vid... __________________ myspace.com/bummydavis - soundclick.com/gmnproductions "The name on my car insurance is YOUR FUKIN FAULT!!"

06-20-2007, 03:54 PM	#2
Rue_Kin Banned Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 656 Repped: 137 Repped 81 Times in 24 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	.... it betta be good'

06-20-2007, 04:15 PM	#4
Zhiwai G_unit_soldier_Chang Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Puerto Rico Posts: 9,469 Repped: 15 Repped 49 Times in 8 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Props on this

06-20-2007, 04:17 PM	#5
Kanyevil Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: San Diego Posts: 240 Repped: 158 Repped 15 Times in 4 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	damn its a hot track too kanye doin his thing cant wait for his album or this vid

06-20-2007, 04:17 PM	#6
Face.The.Pain Veteran Join Date: May 2006 Location: . Posts: 2,678 Repped: 1,161 Repped 895 Times in 96 Posts Neg Reps: 82 Neg Repped at 36 Times in 27 Posts	Propzzz yoo

06-20-2007, 04:53 PM	#8
Rick Styles Banned Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Blackpool, Seaside. Posts: 2,576 Repped: 1,675 Repped 1,230 Times in 201 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 1 Time in 1 Post	props lil nigga, gonna be hot.

06-20-2007, 05:14 PM	#10
ReppinDaBean Still Undefeated Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: MA Town Posts: 4,383 Repped: 626 Repped 482 Times in 178 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	shit was too long to read but hope its good and cassie fuckin sucks

06-20-2007, 06:28 PM	#11
Behind Tha Beatz liv 4 evrythin,Di 4 Notin Join Date: May 2007 Location: tha Chi Muthafucka Posts: 705 Repped: 213 Repped 0 Times in 0 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Propzzzzzz Blackwallstreet Bitch

06-20-2007, 09:04 PM	#13
Gttm303 Taking a big risk Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Long Beach,California Posts: 8,975 Repped: 2,012 Repped 25 Times in 8 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	gotta be a good video , props

06-20-2007, 10:50 PM	#14
Think Muzik Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: CANADA Posts: 909 Repped: 1 Repped 16 Times in 5 Posts Neg Reps: 1 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	his videos are just getting more expensive now arent they? lol

06-20-2007, 11:04 PM	#15
MC B STREETZ YAYO'S ADVOCATE/HYPE MAN Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: FIND ME IN YA CRIB WIT DA NINA WHERE DA MONEY AT Posts: 18,199 Repped: 3,566 Repped 21,971 Times in 2,200 Posts Neg Reps: 58 Neg Repped at 51 Times in 45 Posts	vid gunna be gud __________________ "I'M A LOUDMOUTH NIGGA BUT MY RUGER SILENT" -TONY YAYO A.K.A TALK OF NEW YORK "ALL YAYO ENEMYS ARE ALL OF MY ENEMYS" - MC B STREETZ A.K.A YAYO'S NINJA

06-21-2007, 12:29 AM	#16
Gelz XXL aka Kid-Ellusion Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: DC: D.rama C.ity Posts: 3,734 Repped: 2,593 Repped 140 Times in 94 Posts Neg Reps: 9 Neg Repped at 2 Times in 2 Posts	hope da video be better than his 1st one

06-21-2007, 12:36 AM	#17
Phantastik Beat Specialist Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,099 Repped: 529 Repped 96 Times in 20 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	lol i like how everyones saying "i hope its betta then the last" big deal he had 1 boring video, just think of All his other videos, he always goes all out and makes hot videos for his music, and Stronger is straight up CRAZY, luv it. __________________ Need HEAT Beats? get at me: Myspace.com/tastik Soundclick.com/PhantastikProductions

06-21-2007, 09:47 AM	#18
Da Real Deal Most Likely To Succeed Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chicago Illinois/Jackson,MS Posts: 4,987 Repped: 892 Repped 2,800 Times in 612 Posts Neg Reps: 178 Neg Repped at 150 Times in 102 Posts	Graduation>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Curtis Stronger, Can't Tell Me Nothin>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Straight to the Bank, Amusement Park __________________

06-21-2007, 11:32 AM	#19
Ed-ucation Veteran Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 5,083 Repped: 416 Repped 98 Times in 58 Posts Neg Reps: 5 Neg Repped at 3 Times in 3 Posts	props, hope the video is gonna be good

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