Synopsis
Hieroglyphics perform "You Never Knew" across the island of Oahu, with the crew members filmed separately in a range of natural and urban settings. Beaches, roads, vegetation, open landscapes, and local neighborhoods give the video a loose, sunlit travelogue quality, while the rappers deliver their verses directly to camera. The stripped-down presentation keeps the focus on the collective's chemistry and the song's confident, melodic energy, capturing Hieroglyphics as a close-knit crew enjoying a rare moment of creative freedom.
Factoids & Trivia
- "You Never Knew" was Hieroglyphics' first independently funded and independently released music video.
- The production spent eight days scouting and filming around Oahu, with each member assigned a different setting on the island.
- The video was shot on 16mm film and edited with Adobe Premiere using a Video Vision Telecast video card, giving the low-budget project a distinctly hands-on production process.
- During filming, locations were cleared or monitored by producer Alex Tse. The crew also used speakers and a Discman attached to a backpack so the performers could hear the track while rapping on location.
- The video was conceived as an intentional visual tribute to the earlier Hieroglyphics-associated video for Souls of Mischief's "93 'til Infinity."
- Following its release, "You Never Knew" received television airplay on both BET and MTV.
- The Hawaii shoot took place during a transitional moment for the group, after the sudden death of the longtime collaborator originally expected to work on the video. The finished clip consequently became both a new beginning and an indirect acknowledgment of Hieroglyphics' earlier visual legacy.