Montell Jordan - You Must Have Been

What this video is

Released in December 2002, this video arrives at a critical transitional moment for Montell Jordan — his self-titled album represented a deliberate artistic repositioning after his late-1990s commercial peak, framed internally as his 'first true album.' The Def Soul imprint, where Jordan was the flagship male artist, was attempting to evolve its sound into a more sophisticated urban-adult register. Director Steve…

Why it matters

Represents a late-career R&B statement within the early-2000s Def Soul / urban contemporary ecosystem — a genre moment characterized by the collision of glossy major-label production values with growing neo-soul introspection. The video's fast cutting pace (2.03s ASL) and warm cinematic palette…

The director

Steven Harold Carr (born April 7, 1965, Brooklyn, NY) trained at Manhattan's School of Visual Arts on a full scholarship, co-founded design firm The Drawing Board with Cey Adams creating iconic album artwork for Def Jam artists. Transitioned to directing…