In 1999, the hip-hop world was looking toward the new millennium with a mix of “apocalyptic” anxiety and high-tech ambition. Busta Rhymes, the undisputed king of “cartoonish” high-energy visuals, decided to “pivot.” He didn’t just want a music video; he wanted to create a “digital” sanctuary of sensuality and chrome. For his track “What’s It Gonna Be?!”, he “recruited” the “Empress” herself, Janet Jackson, to act as the “Goddess of a Silver World.”
The result was a $2.4 million production—adjusted for inflation, it remains one of the most “extravagant” music videos ever conceived. Directed by the visionary Hype Williams, the shoot “extinguished” the boundaries of CGI, leaving the hip-hop community “mesmerized” by a level of visual chemistry that felt “otherworldly.”
The Architecture of a “Liquid Metal” Dream
To build this futuristic “utopia,” Hype Williams “raided” the visual language of the Terminator films, utilizing cutting-edge “model interpolation” that allowed the human form to “dissolve” into reflected chrome.
-
The “Silver Knight” Emergence: The video opens with Busta Rhymes “morphing” out of a glass of silver liquid, appearing as a futuristic knight—a “totalitarian” display of the era’s “Shiny Suit” aesthetic.
-
The “Goddess” in Latex: Janet Jackson appeared in a “revelatory” purple latex suit, adorned with metal rings and featuring six-inch “pierced” fingernails. She wasn’t just a featured artist; she was the “aesthetic anchor” of the entire $2M world.
-
The $40,000 Costume: Busta’s signature “glass costume” alone was reported to cost as much as a luxury car, a “no-expense-spared” philosophy that defined the high-budget “Hype Williams Era.”
By the Numbers: The “Millennium” Masterpiece
The statistical “weight” of the video “vindicated” its massive price tag, setting a “platinum” standard for rap-pop crossovers.
-
$2.4 Million “Gamble”: At the time, it was a record-breaking investment in digital special effects for a hip-hop video, “colonizing” the top spots on MTV and BET for months.
-
No. 3 on the “Hot 100”: The visual “surge” helped the track “extract” a massive chart performance, proving that high-concept art could drive “mainstream” dominance.
-
4 VMA Nominations: The video was “anointed” with nominations for Best Special Effects and Best Hip-Hop Video, “silencing” those who thought rap was “too gritty” for high-end CGI.
The “Stunned” Encounter
Busta Rhymes has frequently “confessed” that he was “stunned” by Janet’s charisma. In 1998, after hearing her mention his name in an interview, Busta nearly “crashed his car” in excitement and immediately “set the work in motion.” When she finally walked onto the set in her metallic attire, the “electric” energy was so overwhelming that the crew “abandoned” the need for multiple takes.
The visual chemistry wasn’t “manufactured” by the liquid-metal effects; it was “catalyzed” by the mutual respect between two icons at the absolute “apex” of their careers.
The Legacy of the “Silver Goddess”
“What’s It Gonna Be?!” remains a “cultural touchstone” because it represents a moment when the music video was a “short film” with a blockbuster budget. Busta Rhymes and Janet Jackson didn’t just record a hit; they “manufactured” a silver future that still looks “ahead of its time” twenty-five years later.
Janet “proved” she was more than a pop princess—she was the “sovereign” of the silver world, a goddess who could “morph” the entire hip-hop genre in her image.