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Kanye West dropped a music video for his track 'Heaven and Hell,' four months after the track first appeared on the rapper's tenth studio album, Donda.
The video debuted on ESPN during a commercial break during the College Football Playoff national championship broadcast between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The video went live on West's YouTube channel right after the broadcast.
The music video also promoted West's fashion line, Yeezy's latest collaborative piece, the Yeezy Gap hoodie. All the actors in the video donned hoodies from the clothing line, which are now up for sale on the brand's official website.
Kanye West pays ode to Dante and other Romantic-era painters
The music video starts with a cityscape filled with shadowy figures, imitating the daily struggles of life. The same is referenced through the lyrics, as Kanye West sings:
"Children growing, women producing/Men work, some go stealing/Everyone's got to make a living."
The shadowy figures are covered in black from head to toe, and black masks cover their faces. The city, shrouded in darkness, gets hit by a tiny sliver of light, which seems to be emanating from West himself.
The video hits its climax as all dark souls get swept away by the vortex created by the light, creating a giant hurricane fueled solely by the souls.
The music video constantly refers to Dante's Divine Comedy and Bible. The light vortex is straight out of Dante's Paradiso Canto 31, where Dante and Beatrice gaze upon the highest level of Heaven, The Empyrean. The description was later brought to light by the French painter Gustavo Doré.
The cityscape from the start is never seen again, and instead, the video pans two pieces by English Romantic painter John Martin. The pieces 'The Fall of Babylon' and 'The Great Day of his Wrath' add to the judgment day atmosphere Kanye West creates in the video.
Fans took to Twitter to share their appreciation for the Fine Art music video, with many noticing the intricate details and making connections to Dante.
The video has received positive responses all over the Internet. The video has had over 1.8 million views in the two days since its release. Many cited it as their favorite video, while some commended West for his artistic vision.
