The creativity that makes music videos eye catching don’t necessarily come from the director anymore. Now and days all of it is produced by the artist and his friends. 2018 was the staple of this statement with most if not all the good music video being overseen by the artist. In my opinion these are the candidates for Music Video of the Year.
Asap Rocky owns two spots with “Asap Forever” and “Praise The Lord”(ft. Skepta). Then you have Travis Scott coming in with “Sicko Mode” which in like 2 and half songs in one. Which is amazing because the visuals fit right in with his rager mentaily. Then 6Lack comes in with “Pretty Little Fears” which also got nominated for the Grammy’s in the same category. Last but not least rounding the list off is Childish Gambino ” This is America” which is also nominated by the Grammy’s in the same category.
Please this is just my opinion I am not a director, so no I don’t understand how hard it is to cgi a skyscraper doing the milly rock so don’t come for me. Now to start ranking each video with “Praise The Lord” coming in at number 5. This video is amazing especially when you realize they were filmed in two different countries. The video is split with Rocky and crew in NYC while Skepta and his crew were in London. You can simultaneously see both places while also noticing how they compare and contrast both cultures. The visual effects are on another level, but the only problem is it would be hard for the normal person to keep with it. It’s a lot going on at once so it’s easy to get lost in the concept of the video, which then makes it seem like Rocky was doing to much. The track alone is good but for the normal person the over the top video will take away from it. Check it down below
Coming in at number 4 is Travis Scott ” Sicko Mode” with 5 beat changes and crazy visual effects. In all honesty the song was ok, the video was crazy, but the moment had more impact. It’s not very often we get two top artist collab on a track like Travis and Drake, but it wasn’t as good as it seemed. The way the track starts sounds and looks amazing but yet again it’s like Travis kinda threw a lot at it and hope for the best. Don’t get me wrong from 00.00 to 1.30 the visuals were mind blowing but after that it became annoying. Outside of the bus part during Drake’s verse I could have done without the rest of it. After awhile it become confusing and wasn’t matching up with the lyrics, looks like a kid that was on his last day of a visual software trial. Then the excessive beat changes also dulled the video because I would be bumping too one then a second later the whole vibe would change. Travis had a amazing concept just didn’t execute it well. Check the video out down below.
Coming in at number 3 is Asap Rocky “Asap Forever” I don’t know who Dexter Navy is but he did a amazing job directing this video. From beginning to end this video is visually beautiful and well put together. Outside of getting dizzy from the camera angles turning upside down this video captures everything ASAP and NY all at once. This is honestly my favorite video for the year too bad it didn’t get the recognition it deserved. Rocky needs to start getting more credit for his work in the music industry because they always low ball him for being into fashion more than music. If it wasn’t for the next two videos Asap Rocky would win this award.
Now coming in at number 2 we have Childish Gambino ” This is America” The video actually outshines the track and made it rise to where it’s at now. Gambino drop this video out of nowhere but it is perfect for the things we are dealing with now. Outside of the lyrics just looking at the video it highlights police brutality, racism, crime, and how guns are treated better than people, even his amazing dance moves were put on display. Gambino does exectiptinal job of depicting a perfect picture of America and everything a black man has to deal with. This video has so many hidden message in it that you won’t be able to catch them all in one view. We as a nation need to see this, it would help put a lot of things in perspective and it did as it was critically acclaimed by many award shows. Outside of the no replay from the song this video did exactly what it was supposed to do show what America actually looks like
Let’s start a drum roll for the award winning Music Video “Pretty Little Fears” made by 6Lack ft. J Cole. This whole video is a mood for the cuffing season, with settings like the fall carnival, late night car rides, and those one on one therapy car talks. This video does a perfect job of catching and maintaining the vibe for the song especially with j cole verse. This Grammy nominated video is second to none meeting all the criteria’s and has amazing replay value as you can play this during any moment in time. I dont know how 6Lack album wasn’t in contention for album of the year but the Grammys usually get that part wrong anyway so that is too be expected. Check out why I think this video should win a Grammy down below