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Rihanna and Kid Cudi are featured in Hype Williams-directed clip.

Kanye West surprised fans by releasing his video for "All of the Lights" from his platinum-selling album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Instead of extensive pre-promotion and hype, the video was announced only about an hour or so before it was set to debut Saturday (February 19).

The clip is directed by Hype Williams and features appearances from Rihanna and Kid Cudi. Williams is a favorite of West's; the filmmaker has directed a number of the Chicago rapper's videos, including "Stronger," "Can't Tell Me Nothing," "Amazing" and their first collabo "Diamonds From Sierra Leone."

The video begins in black-and-white with the camera following a young girl who is presumably heading out to school. After about a minute, a brightly lit graphic montage of the song's lyrics and names of the video's participants begin flashing across the screen. This portion of the video is an homage to the opening credits of Gaspar No�'s 2009 French film "Enter the Void."

Kanye West isn't seen in the video until about the two-minute mark. Yeezy is extra animated while reciting his lyrics (at one point he is standing on top of a police car) as is Kid Cudi when he performs the song's bridge. Rihanna's presence in the video will probably be especially appreciated by the fellas since she is wearing a revealing top as she seductively peers into the camera.

The video's release may add credence to rumors that Kanye will join Rihanna during halftime of the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night to perform the new single.

While the video for "All of the Lights" has arrived, it leaves many asking about the fate of the visual for "Monster." Although a rough cut of the "Monster" video leaked at the end of 2010, there is no word of when and if a finished version will ever be released.
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