Upon its release, "Heard 'Em Say" received widespread critical acclaim from contemporary music journalists. West was praised for his thought-provoking sociopolitical commentary while Levine's singing earned comparisons to Stevie Wonder. Two separate accompanying music videos were produced for the single. The original video was directed by French filmmaker Michel Gondry and shot live-action inside the flagship department store Macy's Herald Square in New York for the Christmas season. An alternate video was co-directed by American cartoonist Bill Plympton and features extensive use of pencil-sketch animation. Both music videos were very well-received and met by generally positive reviews. The animated version managed to garner much airplay on MTV and BET while the live-action version won Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2006 Music Video Production Awards.