Kanye West - Only One ft. Paul McCartney

What this video is

Released on January 29, 2015 — just weeks after the New Year's Eve single drop — 'Only One' arrived as Kanye West's first release after Yeezus (2013) and signaled a dramatic tonal pivot toward vulnerability and domesticity. The song, written from the perspective of West's late mother Donda West as a message to his daughter North, fused generational grief with paternal tenderness. Its collaboration with Paul…

Why it matters

A landmark in hip-hop video minimalism: the iPhone-shot, near-plotless visual strips away every convention of the rap video genre — no performance stage, no choreography, no narrative — in favor of raw documentary intimacy. Its critical success (Pitchfork's #6 video of 2015) validated the…

The director

Adam Spiegel (b. October 22, 1969), known as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, and photographer. He rose to prominence directing music videos for Beastie Boys, Weezer, Björk, Fatboy Slim, Daft Punk, Arcade Fire, and Kanye West before…