Hype Williams

Director Hype Williams was the definitive music video director in the 1990s. His fish-eye lens helped to shine the spotlight on such top-selling artists as Nas, DMX, Missy Elliott and P. Diddy. The Hollis, Queens-native initially aspired to become a painter and both Basquiat and Keith Haring served as his modern-day inspirations. But Williams’ graffiti tagging art morphed into a career behind the camera as an award-winning director. He’searned accolades from The Billboard Music Awards, MTV Music Video Award and The NAACP Image Awards. In 1998, Williams leapt from the small screen to the big screen with his feature film debut, Belly, starring Nas.