Famous Music Video

Lore & Background

The music video for "Famous" was released in June 2016, featuring a single, static shot of twelve wax figures sleeping naked in a large bed. The figures depicted Kanye West himself, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, George W. Bush, Donald Trump, Anna Wintour, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Ray J, Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner, and Bill Cosby. The video was met with a polarized response upon its release. Following its use in the video, the wax figures were later exhibited as a sculpture, extending the life of the visual concept beyond the music video format.

In Their Own Story

The video presents a single, unmoving scene: a large bed filled with twelve hyper-realistic wax figures, all sleeping naked. The figures are arranged in various poses of sleep, creating a tableau that is both intimate and confrontational. The camera slowly pans across the bed, allowing viewers to identify each celebrity. The scene is silent except for the song itself. The video's power comes from its stillness and the sheer audacity of its casting, placing figures from vastly different worlds—politics, music, reality TV, and fashion—into a single, vulnerable space. The wax figures used in the video were later exhibited as a sculpture, cementing the work's status as a piece of art as well as a music video.

Reader's Guide

The video's key concept is a single, static shot of twelve wax figures of celebrities sleeping naked in a shared bed. The figures included Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, George W. Bush, Donald Trump, Anna Wintour, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Ray J, Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner, and Bill Cosby. The video was released in June 2016 and received a polarized response. After the video's release, the wax figures were later exhibited as a sculpture, transforming the music video's props into a standalone art installation.

Did You Know?

• The music video for 'Famous' features wax figures of twelve celebrities all sleeping naked in a shared bed.
• The figures depicted include Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, George W. Bush, Donald Trump, Anna Wintour, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Ray J, Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner, and Bill Cosby.
• The video was released in June 2016 and was met with a polarized response.
• The wax figures used in the video were later exhibited as a sculpture.
• The video was released several months after Kim Kardashian released a three-minute video capturing parts of a conversation between Taylor Swift and Kanye West.