2pac-hit em up - 2pac-hit em up

What this video is

Released June 4, 1996 at the absolute apex of the East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop rivalry, 'Hit 'Em Up' and its music video represent one of the most incendiary cultural documents in rap history. Filmed days after 2Pac's 'How Do U Want It' video shoot, the video deploys a raw, street-confrontational aesthetic that mirrors the track's unmediated aggression. Death Row Records, under Suge Knight, functioned as the…

Why it matters

A defining artifact of mid-1990s West Coast gangsta rap and the diss-track subgenre at its cultural zenith. The video codified the aesthetic grammar of hip-hop confrontation videos: outdoor group performance, direct camera address, high-density ensemble presence, and raw kinetic editing. Its…

The director

Grammy and Emmy nominated director and producer with over 40 years in music television. Career began in 1986 on Showtime's Motown docuseries. Rose through the Soul Train Awards under Don Cornelius. Holds the record for most music video collaborations with…