Teyana Taylor pays tribute to innovative music video director Hype Williams in her new visual for “HYWI?”, her latest single featuring the rapper King Combs.
The video, directed by Taylor herself (credited as Teyana “Spike Lee” Taylor), references the hip-hop and R&B videos of the late Nineties and early aughts, particularly those by prolific director Hype Williams. Video credits are displayed at the beginning and end of the clip – just like it would be if it were airing on MTV – and Taylor’s gender-flipping fashion matches the style of the era. The opening is a direct, gender-bent reference to LL Cool J’s “Doin’ It,” and the scene in the blue room pays homage to both “Doin’ It” and Toni Braxton’s “Just Be a Man About It.” There’s even a staged recreation of the iconic “fish-eye” tunnel seen in the Williams video for the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo Money Mo Problems” featuring Mase and Puff Daddy.
Taylor previously released the video for “Issues/Hold On,” a track from her 2018 album K.T.S.E. featuring A$AP Rocky, as well as the NSFW clip for “WTP,” featuring a slew of queer artists and performers. This week, she was announced as a guest vocalist on Rick Ross’s forthcoming album Port of Miami 2.
