The 90-second clip delivers on director Marco Brambilla’s artistic promise. By Jayson Rodriguez Kanye West Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images Kanye West debuted his “Power” video Thursday night (August 5) on MTV, leaving fans to interpret the rapper’s vision in the Marco Brambilla-directed “portrait.” The 90-second visual was a digitized still image, in which Kanye West was decked out in a black T-shirt and the same flamboyant jewelry he wore during this year’s BET Awards . The video began with the chanting of the gospel-tinged record, and while the image of West was still, the camera pulled away from the digitized fixture to reveal multiple women, some saints and some sinners. The video was rife with religious references; Brambilla said the rapper admired his previous efforts, which combined sexual overtones with religious imagery. “I instantly connected to the themes on the album,” Brambilla told MTV News of West’s yet-untitled next LP. “The whole idea of celebrity, the idea of power, the idea of sensuality in it, there’s sexuality in it as well, and those were all kind of themes that I’ve explored in my work before. Once I heard the album, that was what clinched it, and I felt very much in tune with the message behind the music.” Toward the end of the brief clip, the camera pulls away to reveal imagery of West with decorated woman, who were placed adjacent to the rapper and who also stood upside down. The production climaxes with an all-black background with the word “Power” across the screen. “I’ve always wanted to do something that would visualize power, to do a portrait of what power would look like in a sort of timeless way and being able to have him framed in that portrait,” Brambilla said. “Essentially doing a video portrait of Kanye as a symbol of power was very consistent with my art practice and what I explore in my artwork.” What did you think of the “Power” video? Let us know in the comments!
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Kanye West’s ‘Power’ Video Mixes The Spiritual With The Sexual
