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.

Nicki Minaj – ‘High School’ (Feat. Lil Wayne) (Directed by Benny Boom)

Thank you Nicki Minaj.

Go to page 2 for “most disappointing music videos” list..

MOST DISAPPOINTING VIDEOS

Jay Z – ‘Picasso Baby’ (Directed by Mark Romanek)

Yes, even Jay Z can end up on the “Most Disappointing Videos” list here at HHNM. ‘Picasso Baby’, off of the platinum-selling Magna Carta Holy Grail album, was a great song, but got an awkward and disappointing video treatment. We appreciate Jay’s effort of trying to tie together music and art, as well as bringing together the fans, but the attempt seemed phony and the “actors” involved were odd. For someone of Jay’s stature, we feel the final outcome of ‘Picasso Baby’ was rushed, lazy, and weird; especially since the song was top notch.

Kanye West – ‘Bound 2’ (Directed by Nick Knight)

If you thought ‘Bound 2’ wasn’t going to end up on this list just because we listed it as one of the best songs of the year, you were sadly mistaken. Did ‘Ye purposely make ‘Bound 2’ seem like a ridiculous and effortless visual production for the sake of making headlines? Who knows but a well made video could have helped take the brilliant song to another level.

French Montana – ‘Gifted’ (Feat. The Weekend) (Directed by Eif Rivera)

You can’t be even surprised that the video for French’s Weeknd-assited track ‘Gifted’ is as bad as it is. The laziness that Excuse My French entailed must’ve made its way behind the lens as well. The lighting was off, the setting was creepy, and again, you felt like French didn’t really want to be there. It was difficult to sit through this one. A rare miss by Eif Rivera.

Birdman, Lil Wayne & R. Kelly – ‘We Been On’ (Directed by Hannah Lux Davis)

Rich Gang tends to put out music videos that all look the same and ‘We Been On’ fits right in. The song is pretty dope, but the video is literally nothing. There comes a time when you need to see more than just women, flashing lights, and jewelry/money — especially when you’ve already done that multiple times in videos from the same album; You can try new things Birdman — your pockets are big enough to do so.

Drake – ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’ (Directed by Bill Pope)

Number 1 hit? Absolutely. Incredible record? Of course. Great video? Negative. Drizzy, this song was supposed to be an example of your softer side, not an episode of Hostages. A kidnapping plot for this song? It was completely misguided and not appropriate for one of your most sincerest songs to the ladies. This was an attempt to use the literal sense of the song title, “Hold On, We’re Going Home” to make a movie-inspired music video but it was quite a fail.

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