Have people seen the Japanophilic video for Kanye West's newest single, Stronger? I hadn't heard anything about it before seeing this, and my mind could barely wrap about the post-post-post-modern scratch & stitch strangeness of the whole thing. Quick rundown after these screencaps:
KANYE = NUMBER 42?
SU-TO-SO-GA?
+ The song doesn't just sample Daft Punk's Harder Better Faster Stronger, but is completely built around (on top of?) the entire hook and melody of it.
+ But wait, Daft Punk appears IN the video in full robot regalia? It's um.. a collaboration?
+ Okay, AND director Hype Williams filmed a bunch of the video in Shinjuku, as another example (and a few years late to the scene, don't you think?) of Japan/Anime fascination in pop & hip-hop.
This reminds me a of a book I saw at Kinokuniya a few weeks ago that's cover basically said "Foreigners see Japan as COOL right now, and this is feeding a surging sense of national and cultural pride among us Japanese". Huh.
+ AND HERE'S THE BIG ONE... the entire video is a massive HOMAGE to the AKIRA storyline, with light bikes, hospital hallway Kanye in a psychic battle with riot cops, giant white scanning machines, etc. Wait, what? Didn't Akira come out like 20 years ago?
+ Final Japan tie-in: Takashi Murakami's Kaikai Kiki designed the single's cover:
WATCH IT HERE!
But, can you argue with this opening line? LET'S GET LOST TONIGHT/YOU CAN BE MY BLACK KATE MOSS TONIGHT. wtf kayne U so crazee.
What do you guys think of the video? It was weirdly nostalgic for me but also like... late '90s post-futurism? Or something?
ADDED: side by side shots of the vid & Akira from this blog :
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