Mariah Carey - Breakdown ft. Krayzie Bone, Wish Bone

What this video is

Released in December 1997 (video premiere) / January–March 1998 (single), 'Breakdown' emerged during Mariah Carey's landmark artistic reinvention on the Butterfly album — her first project recorded amid her separation from Sony Music executive Tommy Mottola, widely interpreted as a declaration of creative independence. The collaboration with Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony represented a genuine…

Why it matters

A landmark R&B-hip-hop crossover artifact, 'Breakdown' demonstrated that pop diva vocal tradition and Bone Thugs-style rapid harmonic rap were stylistically compatible. The song peaked at #4 on the Hot R&B Singles chart and spent 30 weeks on the Billboard Hot R&B Airplay chart — surpassing 'One…

The director

Diane Martel (May 7, 1962 – September 18, 2025) was a Brooklyn-born music video director who began her career as a street artist and choreographer after dropping out of high school. She launched her directing career in 1992 with the PBS documentary Reckin'…