Review: "Heard 'Em Say" (song, videos, live performance) / Kanye West

West describes his latest single "Heard 'Em Say," a collaboration with Maroon 5's Adam Levine, as "my favorite song of all time that I ever did!" To his dismay, it has failed to catch on like his megahit "Gold Digger." I admit, I was skeptical when I first found out one my favorite artists would be collaborating with one of my least favorites but, for one song, West made Levine listenable.

What is interesting about this collaboration is both parties had written their parts before ever coming together. West had written a frustrated rap about politics and society ("Before you ask me to go get a job today/Can I at least get a raise on the minimum wage/and I know the government administer aids"), while Levine had written a ballad about a relationship coming to an end ("Cuz every worthless word we get more far away/ and nothing's ever promised tomorrow today/and nothing lasts forever but be honest babe/it hurts but it may be the only way"). When the two come together, it becomes a complex song about balance and survival. He's frustrated about police brutality and his cousin's employer telling him he's being too "niggerish," but at the end of the day, he simply has to "keep believing." Maybe it hasn't caught on as a single because the message of balancing your political frustrations with your personal goals is a little too deep for the pop charts. This song has become meaningful for me as of late as I balance my anger with regards to President Bush, Democrats and the confirmation of Samuel Alito to the supreme court, with the more positive events in my personal life.


For the video, West sought out Michel Gondry - who had, incidentally, played drums on "Diamonds From Sierra Leone." In the video, West and a group of children are let in from the rain to a closed Macy's in New York City, with Levine playing the friendly security guard. West and the kids run around, while many of the products take on a magical life. While there are some great visuals and some wonderful use of color, the video lacks the darker artistic qualities that make Gondry's videos so great. The over-sentimental qualities would have fit in much better in an actual Macy's commercial.


West was disappointed with the video, too, and commissioned a second - a black-and-white clip built around animation by Bill Plympton. The animation is good, but it too fails to fully complement the complex nature of the song. "Man, I feel like I sent my gifted child to a bad school," West says of both video's shortcomings. "It's the one thing in 2005 that I feel like I really failed at."

With two mediocre videos, MTV has taken to playing a clip of West's performance of the song for his "Life and Rhymes of..." special. In the clip, West stops performing halfway through, telling the audience that he wants to go through the song slowly, explaining the story behind the process. As a West fan, I enjoy hearing about his artistic process. DJ A-Trak scratches up Levine's vocals, while West conducts his backing band, making for a strong and insightful performance. (This version is available on West's mixtape Second Semester).

Song: 4 STARS (out of 5)
Gondry Video: 2.5
Animated Video: 3
Live Performance: 3.5

::Videos Courtesy of::
1•M3
2•Flight Comics