'Empire State of Mind' gets a video
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind," one of the most deleriously enjoyable hip-hop songs of the year, finally gets a music video in this Hype Williams-directed clip.
The storyline writes itself: It's New York, dummy. Period. Yet Williams' clip doesn't feel as definitive as Jay and Alicia's performance of the song at last month's MTV Video Music Awards, where cameras followed Jay as he took the stage at Radio City Music Hall -- one of New York's, and the world's, most famous landmarks -- and massive video screens projected sweeping shots of the city's skyline behind he and Keys.
This shows black and white shots of the city -- territory better-mined by Mark Romanek's gritty "99 Problems" vid -- and switches to color too late in the clip. The whole video should have been in beaming, bright colors. Nice to see Jay standing in front of his old stash spot, though.
It's hard to take much away from the song, however, which is an instant New York City classic and has transcended the five boroughs and become a nationwide smash. The song's success is due in large part to Keys' magnificent hook, which embodies and exemplifies the spirit of the city and ranks among the best work she's ever done. All rappers should be so lucky as to have their hooks sung by her.
