Kanye West - Jesus Walks (Version 2)

What this video is

Released in 2004 as part of Kanye West's debut album 'The College Dropout,' 'Jesus Walks' Version 2 arrived at a moment of acute tension between mainstream hip-hop's secular materialism and a resurgent Black Christian consciousness post-9/11. The three-video strategy — each version directed by a different filmmaker — was unprecedented for a rap single and signaled West's ambition to treat visual culture as…

Why it matters

A landmark in gospel-rap fusion, 'Jesus Walks' Version 2 stands as one of the most formally ambitious hip-hop music videos of the early 2000s. Its allegorical, multi-vignette structure — directed by Chris Milk, who would go on to pioneer interactive and VR music video formats — pushed the genre…

The director

Chris Milk (born 1975/1976, Glen Cove, NY) is an American filmmaker, music video director, immersive artist, and entrepreneur. He studied Music and Film at UC Santa Barbara, then earned a BFA in Film, Photography and Computer Graphics from the Academy of Art…