Kanye West, Jay-Z - H＊A＊M (VEVO Presents： G.O.O.D. Music)

What this video is

Released as the lead single from Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch the Throne (2011) on January 11, 2011 via Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam Recordings, H.A.M. marked the formal announcement of the most anticipated rap collaboration of its era. The VEVO SXSW performance captured here — at an abandoned Austin power plant — epitomizes the 2011 cultural moment when hip-hop spectacle merged with corporate digital media…

Why it matters

H.A.M. represents a pivotal moment in the mainstreaming of Southern trap production into prestige East Coast hip-hop. By grafting Lex Luger's aggressive, bass-heavy trap aesthetic — previously associated with Waka Flocka Flame and Rick Ross — onto two of rap's most critically revered figures, the…