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<\/p>\nIf you\u2019re a 90\u2019s kid like me, then your throwback memories include running home after school to watch music video premieres from you favorite artists. Yo! MTV Raps, TRL<\/i>and 106 & Park <\/i>(under the Free and AJ reign) all had a little something for everyone. The anticipation built for weeks and even months as you anticipated the big release, hoping it would align with the imagery in your head. Some music videos delivered, others..not so much.<\/p>\nYOU COULD ALWAYS EXPECT A GOOD STORY TO MATCH THE LYRICS.<\/h3>\n
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Michael Jackson set the bar relatively high in 1983 with the 13-minute long music video for Thriller<\/i>. Zombies are all the rage these days thanks to The Walking Dead<\/i>, but a black man raising some dancing fools from the dead was unheard of for MTV. What a hell of a way to shatter the glass ceiling.<\/p>\n
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Other artists tried to up their game with massive budgets, bizarre looks and of course bigger hair. The 1980\u2019s and big hair are one in the same. While his follow-up videos were shorter, Michael kept with the same action and suspense in videos like Bad<\/i> and Smooth Criminal<\/i>. Little sister Janet, was one of the very few that could keep up with Michael\u2019s long-form videos. Her award-winning Rhythm Nation 1814 Film<\/i> became an instant classic notably for the hardcore choreography and iconic, militant outfits.<\/p>\n
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With the turn of a new decade, the lyrics became a bit harsher depicting the ruggedness of the street violence in urban America. Groups like N.W.A and EMPD were already on the scene rapping about the revolution and you know, f*ck the police. A new class followed with the same message and a different vibe. 2Pac\u2019s 1991 hit, Brenda\u2019s Got a Baby<\/a><\/i>, told a story of a black, uneducated 12-year-old girl who was pregnant in the ghetto as a result of incest. The music video matched exactly what Tupac described on the track. We watched Brenda tossed the baby in the dumpster. Brenda prostituted herself. Brenda died. The story sounds so disturbing, yet it became so real watching Tupac tell it. How often did we hear about the Brenda\u2019s of the world at that time? Here we have a music video serving the purpose of entertainment and awareness.<\/p>\n On the other side of urban music, R&B artists had a diverging agenda. TLC was all about safe sex and loving your potential. The 1994 music video for Waterfalls<\/a><\/i> addressed HIV and selling drugs in two different stories over a five minute span. R. Kelly was in love and lust with another man\u2019s woman. Remember when we met Mr. Biggs in Down Low<\/a><\/i>? No one deserved that kind of ass whipping. Everywhere you looked, the plot thickened. It seems like everybody was cheating. En Vogue\u2019s Don\u2019t Let Go (Love)<\/a><\/i> and Xscape\u2019s Who Can I Run To<\/i> exposed love triangles. The list goes on and on. Younger artists of the time came on the scene with their own unique storytelling. Usher took us to Paris in 1997 for a duel of his kidnapped lover in Nice and Slow<\/a><\/i> as Mya broke free from her father\u2019s harsh thumb in My First Night with You<\/a><\/i>.<\/p>\n Hype Williams was and still is one of the most sought after music video directors from the 1990\u2019s and early 2000\u2019s. His extensive videography stretches across diverse artists all with a unique touch on their music videos. symbolizing alternative themes. Artists were now \u201cflossin\u2019 and glossin’\u201d for three to five minutes. Every now and then, the video ended with a surprising plot twist, but don\u2019t hold your breath. With the start of a new millennium, music videos didn\u2019t seem to evolve to much more than \u201cbling\u201d and half-naked women. I won\u2019t go into the disgusting nature of videos shown on BET: Uncut<\/i>. Enter: soft pornography.<\/p>\n Hip hop artists were already on the come up from the hood and now their tone changed to show how they had made it. The definition of making it were Armani suits, hot video girls, passing the Courvoisier and fast cars. R&B artists were busy \u201cgetting their mack on\u201d, pushing the envelope with sex scenes. R. Kelly introduced a so-called \u201crap opera\u201d with a series of music videos from Trapped in the Closet<\/i>. It\u2019s safe to say we were all let down by chapter 12<\/a>. Michael Jackson reintroduced the long-form style of music videos in 2001 with You Rock My World<\/a><\/i>, but very few artists followed suit. The following year, Eminem dropped a video for Stan<\/a><\/i>, a word we\u2019ve all come to know and love about crazed fans with a twisted obsession for celebrities. The extended version ran eight minutes long.<\/p>\n By 2009, YouTube had taken over. No one was waiting all day to watch a music video premiere on television, which would only show pieces of it instead of the full length. The anticipation had died. Artists began sidestepping the network, directly releasing their work on their websites. You could go months without seeing your favorite artist in a music video and be perfectly okay with it. Nowadays we\u2019re all about live performances, silly Instagram videos and reckless tweets. Forget the script and high dollar budget, musicians are using social media to express themselves while giving fans exclusive content. Nicki Minaj and Beyonce\u2019s Feeling Myself<\/i><\/a> had the most notable music video release this year, stirring up a frenzy on the internet after subscribers were initially only able to access it exclusively on Tidal (not to mention Bey\u2019s entire self-titled album in 2013). There has been another shift in the music video dynamic presented this month.<\/p>\n Then it happened. If you were on Twitter in the wee hours of the morning a few weeks ago, everyone was buzzing about the insanity and revenge<\/a> conjured up by bad girl RiRi. Violence, nudity and drugs. Even she thinks the video will soon be banned<\/a>. The reception has been mixed but mama has everyone talking. Big Sean also dropped Play No Games<\/i><\/a>\u00a0the same week\u00a0channeling 90\u2019s sitcom Martin<\/i> and recreating spot on scenes. (Sorry Chris Brown, you look nothing like Cole.) And finally, Sir Kendrick Lamar\u2019sAlright<\/i><\/a>; 6 minutes of his metaphysical work straight in the hood.<\/p>\n What do these three have in common? A story. Music videos have certainly evolved from the early days. There are plenty of stories to be told with creative minds eager to share them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019re a 90\u2019s kid like me, then your throwback memories include running home after school to watch music video premieres from you favorite artists. Yo! MTV Raps, TRLand 106 & Park (under the Free and AJ reign) all had a little something for everyone. The anticipation built for weeks and even months as you …<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/38.media.tumblr.com\/tumblr_ljj0o7MMkD1qbujpao1_500.gif?resize=500%2C332\")
<\/p>\nY2K ARRIVED AND MUSIC VIDEO DIRECTOR\u2019S SUDDENLY GAVE UP..OR SO IT SEEMED.<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nONCE SISQUO\u2019S MUSIC VIDEO FOR \u201cTHONG SONG<\/a>\u201d DROPPED, THE GAME CHANGED.<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nRIHANNA BUILT UP HYPE AT THE BET AWARDS\u00a0WITH A TEASER OF \u201cBITCH BETTER HAVE MY MONEY\u201d BEFORE THE RELEASE.<\/h3>\n
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