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Kanye West spent lots of cash on his video for "Stronger," a track taken from his upcoming new album "Graduation." The rapper's investment has resulted in something that confidently raises the bar in video cinematography. "Stronger" is pure eye candy with a strong visual aesthetic that includes bold Asian lettering, fluorescent Tokyo street imagery and futuristic, Akira video game-style action scenes that totally fit the hard-pounding rhythms and synthetic qualities of the song.

West teamed with acclaimed director Hype Williams to put the video together. Williams, who is known for his "visual bravado and vivid imagination," has become one of the leading creative forces who has given a visual edge to today's global hip hop culture. Hype started out as a graffiti artist in New York City with the dream of becoming the next Keith Haring. After a brief stint in graphic design, Williams started directing music videos in the early '90 most notably for people like Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes.

Kanye's futuristic concept for "Stronger" fits perfectly with Williams' knack for outlandish set designs, constantly moving camera angles and saturated color palettes that are intensified with advanced digital editing techniques. His distinct style and perfect blend of sound, rhythm and visualization creates a vibrant hyper reality, which is clearly demonstrated in this new video.

Moving around like an enemy of the state action figure gone mental, West sports some protective gear with those striking, semi-shade sunglasses that were designed by Jeremy Scott.

"Stronger" includes a sample of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" from their "Discovery" album. The song itself is okay and West's rhymes are mediocre at best. Lyrcis like, "You know how long i've been on ya? Since Prince was on Apollonia. Since OJ had isotoners" are nothing genial. But West is not only a cocky egomaniac, he is also a very shrewd business man who understands that visual style is as important as aural substance in today's media age. And Hype Williams is the perfect person to deliver on that vision.

(Also, check out the speedy Mano remix of "Stronger" here.)