With the alternate video, Plympton was able to fully reproduce the visuals that West had in mind. The thought-provoking lyrics of "Heard 'Em Say" come alive with the pencil-sketch animation. Each individual frame in the music video bursts with the same detail and urgency that West delivers in his rhymes. These striking, black-and-while visuals harbor a mixture of fantasy and reality that conveys a sorrowful story. His verses are translated into a faithful rendition of cartoon vignettes, with bizarre flourishes characteristic of Plympton's style. The child's eyes are drawn with exaggerated largeness as he looks at advertisements of diamonds and jewelry. The video also features very literal and obvious animated interpretations of selected lyrics from the song, with West even morphing into both Jesus and the devil as they're mentioned in his lines. They serve to illustrate the narrative of a mythical urban cabdriver who picks up passengers, including a mother and her young boy, meant to represent Kanye as a child. The animated portions of the music video are interspersed live-action footage of Kanye West and guest singer Adam Levine providing vocal performances. At certain intervals during the video, the duo can be seen performing before a bare, all-white background. These live-action scenes are interrupted by animated sequences in which a young child traverses a depressing urban landscape, learning the harsh realities of America along the way.