Kanye West - Jesus Walks ft. John Legend on Dave Chappelle's Block Party

What this video is

This live performance exists at the intersection of several defining cultural moments of the mid-2000s. Kanye West's debut album The College Dropout had been released only seven months prior to the September 2004 concert, and 'Jesus Walks' was already a major radio hit that had won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song at the 47th Grammy Awards (2005). The block party itself, organized by Dave Chappelle at the height…

Why it matters

This clip represents a landmark document in the concert film / hip-hop documentary genre, situated within a broader lineage traceable to Wattstax (1973) and When We Were Kings (1996). It preserves a uniquely communal and politically resonant performance of one of the most critically significant…

The director

French filmmaker and visual innovator born in Versailles, 1963. Began career directing music videos for his band Oui Oui before being recruited by Björk following her discovery of his MTV-aired clip. Directed a total of eight music videos for Björk, earning…