If Kanye’s new music video for ‘Fade’ left you thinking ‘well yes, that was basically porn’, it was a pretty accurate assessment.

70s and 80s porn was a direct influence on director Eli Russell Linnetz, who is currently in the middle of a “one-year artist residency” with the rapper.

Of the reference points for the video, he told The New York Times: “Flashdance is just so iconic that it’s hard to move away from that, but the Ohio Players’ album covers were our starting point. Some people picked up on the Grace Jones boxing images by Jean-Paul Goude.

“I pulled a lot of references from ’70s and ’80s porn, just on Pornhub. That was less about the imagery and more about the texture of the skin, the oiliness.

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"There’s John Carpenter films, The Fly,” he continued. “There’s also things like Dancing With the Stars, the Olympics and the N.B.A. championship.”

University of Southern California graduate Linnetz has been working with Kanye since he was 17. If you were wondering how a teenager comes to be Kanye’s right-hand creative man, the answer is with a simple email.

“Kanye had tweeted about starting [his creative agency] DONDA, and a friend of mine had emailed him,” he recalled. “Kanye actually responded. I was brought into the mix, and we started working on a bunch of writing projects together.

Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Show all 12 1 /12 Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Kanye West's greatest self comparisons God: “I am God's vessel. But my greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live.” Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Steve Jobs: “I think what Kanye West is going to mean is something similar to what Steve Jobs means. I am undoubtedly, you know, Steve of Internet, downtown, fashion, culture. Period. By a long jump.” Getty David Paul Morris/Getty Images Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Walt Disney: “I'm more of a Walt Disney or something. Rap is just a chamber of my thoughts. [They're] something that I really wanted to express as a modern day poet.” Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Braveheart: “I feel like a little bit, like, I’m the Braveheart of creativity.” Getty 20th Century Fox Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Willy Wonka: “I want to be as unrealistic as possible. The worst thing about me comparing myself to Steve Jobs in that it's too realistic of an idea. What I need to stay is I'm more like Willy Wonka.” Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Picasso: “No matter how they try to control you, or the motherfucker next to you tries to peer pressure you, you can do what you motherf**king want. I am Picasso." Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Hermés: "Visiting my mind is like visiting the Hermès factory. S**t is real.” Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Michelangelo: "When I think of competition it's like I try to create against the past. I think about Michelangelo and Picasso, you know..." Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons The Pyramids: "... the pyramids." Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Thomas Edison: "I am Thomas Edison." Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons Soldiers: "You're literally going out to do your job every day knowing that something could happen to you." Getty Getty Kanye West's greatest self comparisons The Police: “This is like being a police officer or something." Getty Getty Images