HHNM 2013 Year-End List: Best & Most Disappointing Music Videos

We at HHNM still attach a lot of value to music videos as they can really help bring a lot of meaning to the audio recording and enhance the overall experience. Following our best and worst mixtapes list yesterday, we attempt at bringing to you our picks for the best and the most disappointing Rap videos of 2013.

1. These lists are in no specific order from 1 to 5 and are based on personal preferences of the HHNM staff which includes Navjosh, Joe Money, Jay Holz, AK and Maher.
2. The main criteria for these picks were: how often we pressed play on a particular song, video or album and how much it impacted our ears. They are not based on the amount of spins on the radio, how many copies it sold or the critical and fan acclaim it received.
3. These picks have been delivered to you unfiltered, without any bias or pre-determined notions and result of days of discussion.
4. Whether you agree or disagree, we appreciate you taking out the time to read this!

BEST VIDEOS

Drake – ‘Started From The Bottom’ (Directed by X)

This song was the return of Drizzy in 2013, and no better way to make it even bigger than with an amazing video OVO put together which was directed by X. From the streets he grew up on in Toronto to strutting on a SFTB billboard, Drizzy’s confidence was oozing all over the screen as he brought us one of the biggest tracks of 2013. Even the skit in the middle of the video had the audience talking as it featured the stunning Angelica Charrupi.

Iggy Azalea – ‘Change Your Life’ (Feat. T.I.) (Directed by Jonas & François)

Surprised to see this here? The song definitely didn’t meet its potential on the charts but we loved the video. Iggy showed off her curves in the hot visual where she played a dancer in Las Vegas while T.I. is the owner of the club. The setting was grand and the attempt to showcase it like a mini-movie gets an A1.

J. Cole – ‘Crooked Smile’ (Feat. TLC) (Directed by Sheldon Candis)

J. Cole has often taken the route of putting out conceptual videos but he really set the bar high with the emotional video treatment for his TLC featured hit ‘Crooked Smile’. The short film was aimed at shedding some light on loop holes in the war on drugs and inspired from the true story of Aiyana Stanley-Jones, the 7-year-old girl who was killed in a drug raid in Detroit in 2010. A job very well done.

Lupe Fiasco – ‘Old School Love’ (Feat. Ed Sheeran) (Directed by Coodie & Chike)

Lupe has always been creative with his videos but he went a step ahead with ‘Old School Love’. The video stayed true to the title of the song as Lupe reflected on the older and simpler times of growing up in Chicago verses the massive murder rate that the city is struggling with today. The colors and edits in the video really caught our attention.