Missy Elliott & Hype Williams Go Full Mega Man On ‘Sock It 2 Me’
As far as 90s music video directors go, there are few names as synonymous with the form as Hype Williams. A true creative force, Williams was inspired by the bright colors and bold artistic visions of graphic artist & Marvel Comics legend Jack Kirby. This is evident enough in his work on videos for artists like Biggie & Busta Rhymes. Situations where he was able to make each star feel truly larger than the galaxy itself. But when it came to Missy Elliott, Williams knew that someone with her style and assertive flair demanded something a little more out of this world.
What we ended up getting was a music video for ‘Sock It 2 Me’ (off her debut album, Supa Dupa Fly) that took its inspiration from low budget Science Fiction and video games. Two sources, specifically: the video game series Mega Man and the stop-motion film work of Ray Harryhausen.
The Mega Man influence is the video’s calling card. You’ve got Missy Elliott dressed like Mega Man (from Mega Man 6, specifically. A curious choice, as it’s the only game in the series at the time that was marketed with the notoriously Blue Bomber wearing a red alt suit), Lil Kim dressed as Mega Man rival, Zero, and Da Brat flying in on a futuristic jet ski dressed as Bass (from Mega Man 7 & 8). There’s even a cameo from Producer Timbaland dressed up like Dr. Wily.
The video features Missy Elliott & Lil Kim landing on a strange planet and fighting off various stop-motion robots. This is where the Harryhausen influence shines through.
While the video was definitely a high budget affair, at $900,000. Williams imbibes the production with a free wheeling levity by making great use of green screens, composite shots, and stop-motion. In certain spots, this is his version of Harryhausen’s Jason And The Argonauts. Only instead of fighting off skeletons, we’ve got Missy Elliott shooting proton blasts at giant robots.
Hype Williams has quite an eye and gets a lot out of the various shades of red here. From the red planet itself, to the Mega Man outfits, and even the glowing red dance interior and Missy’s hair & makeup.
Everything about this video oozes charm. There’s just something about certain effects that make them more dynamic and tangible when you can see the seams and cuts. It’s like seeing the battle scars from a labor of love. You can feel the craftsmanship that went into bringing this music video concept to life. And to know that about ‘Sock It 2 Me’ is to love it.
For her part, Missy is in complete control and loving every second of it. She’s stunting so good, she even pulls off the Michael Jackson ‘Smooth Criminal’ lean, just because she can.
‘Sock It 2 Me’ is vintage Hype Williams. A big, bright landscape filled to the brim with colorful ideas and wearing its influences on its sleeve. A video that was an early adopter of bringing Japanese video games into a predominantly black media space. Hype & Missy saved the day, not by beating their own Dr Wily, but by taking a chance on something unique and trusting their audience to roll with it.
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