Kanye West - Get 'Em High (feat. Common & Talib Kweli)

FEB 09 2004 · 12:00

Kanye West - Get 'Em High (feat. Common & Talib Kweli) (2004) Director: Plain Pat Era: The College Dropout Era (2004) - Kanye West's debut album cycle; the dawn of Chicago's ascendancy in mainstream hip-hop and the smart-rap renaissance on Roc-A-Fella Records. High archival value as a rare visual document from Kanye West's debut album era, featuring a lineup, West, Common, and Talib Kweli, that represents a unique intersection of Chicago and New York conscious hip-hop. The video's reported suppression and subsequent circulation make it a notable artifact in the study of unreleased hip-hop visual material and early-2000s grassroots rap aesthetics. Context: Released in February 2004 as part of The College Dropout, 'Get Em High' represents the coalescence of Chicago's underground hip-hop ambitions with New York's conscious rap tradition, featuring Talib Kweli and Common, two of the most critically respected lyricists of the era. The video's low-budget, cipher-style performance aesthetic reflects the ethos of an artist and team still rooted in grassroots hip-hop culture despite major-label distribution through Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam. The track's reportedly shelved official video underscores the transitional nature of Kanye's early promotional strategy, which prioritized album rollout singles over deep-cut visuals. Director notes: Plain Pat is listed as Director in the production credits for 'Get Em High' on Album of the Year (albumoftheyear.org) and corroborated by Rate Your Music. However, Kanye West's Fandom wiki notes that the music video was recorded but officially went unreleased, with Consequence confirming this in 2017. The video in circulation (YouTube: R5dpuoCzudI, filename tagged 'Official HQ Video') may represent a posthumously released or fan-distributed version of this shelved production. Plain Pat's primary professional identity is as a record executive and producer rather than a career music video director; this directorial credit appears tied specifically to his insider role within The College Dropout production camp.