Mobb Deep - Hey Luv ft. 112 (Anything)

What this video is

Released in January 2002 from Mobb Deep's fifth studio album Infamy (Loud Records, December 2001), 'Hey Luv (Anything)' ft. 112 represents a pivotal and contested commercial pivot for the Queensbridge duo. Infamy marked a major stylistic departure from the duo's grimy, minimalist East Coast hardcore sound toward an R&B-inflected, radio-friendly aesthetic — a shift that attracted accusations of 'selling out' from…

Why it matters

Documents the East Coast hardcore hip-hop crossover into mainstream R&B-pop territory at the height of the Bling Era. As Mobb Deep's highest-charting single (#58 Billboard Hot 100), the video is a primary artifact of the early-2000s industry push to hybridize rap credibility with R&B radio…

The director

Born October 31, 1975 in Toronto, Canada, of Trinidadian and Swiss descent. Formerly known as Little X. Began career as an intern at MuchMusic before becoming a protégé of Hype Williams, working as a visual consultant on Williams' 1998 film Belly. Founded…