With the advent of digital, picking a best video of 2010 becomes tougher and tougher every year. Unfortunately, there is more quantiy than ever before. Hundreds of music videos are released every day, and you can even shoot, cut, and edit video on your iPhone to TV quality effect.
Unfortunately video might kill the video star, as the vast amount of video availabile in the marketplace might end up diluting the craft and make it harder for artists to stand out. To get noticed above the crowd your video has to be creative, constructive, and just downright good. Unfortunately not too many indies made the cut this year, but with the shift in the music marketplace, that will change in 2010.
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Raheem DeVaughn – I’m SingleI don’t know if we can blame Kanye or what, but there has been an increasing amount of nudity in videos and album covers lately. Hey, I’m not complaing, just making a statement. While some might call DC’s Raheem DeVaughn’s video (produced by Tabi’s Cool Kids Forever Films) soft core pr0n, I call it a masterpiece. Its beautifully executed, providing enough sex to satisfy without getting raunchy. It was not surprisingly too hot for YouTube, however. |
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Ciara – Ride[youtube Lp6W4aK1sbs nolink] Talk about a video that makes a dude say “Daaaaaaamn!” No words. |
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Kanye West – Power[youtube L53gjP-TtGE nolink] Kanye West’s epic minute and a half recreation of an classical Greek painting was one of the biggest swagger jackings of 2010. Over 2 million people watched the video on TV (not just on YouTube) and we all thought our cable went out at the end (a la The Sopranos). Still, the video was a work of art, and it should played on loop in the Smithsonian or MOMA (instead of other controversial videos). |
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Badu – Window Seat[youtube 9hVp47f5YZg nolink] It takes a brave woman to do what Ms Badu did on a spring afternoon in Dallas Texas. Walking down a street in the conservative city, stripping naked landed her with a citation and a fine, but it was worth it. Her interpretation of Matt and Kim’s Lesson’s Learned (a previous Best of 2010 winner) is probably the most action to happen to that city since Kennedy’s car approached the Grassy Knoll. |
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Duck Sauce – Barbara Striesand[youtube uu_zwdmz0hE nolink] Sometimes a video wins on it’s sheer simplicity and Duck Sauce managed to turn one of the simplest DIY into one of the best videos of the year. Chopped full of cameos–Pharrell, Kanye West, DJ Premier just to name a few–this video is hands down the best advertisement for New York City that I’ve seen all year. In fact, watching this video every morning was the catalyst for me moving there. |
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Janelle Monae – Cold War[youtube lqmORiHNtN4 nolink] There is something about the simplicity of just an artist and a black background. Think Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 or D’Angelo’s Untitled. You have to have a multitude of stage presence to pull it off. It’s a One man (or woman) play. There is no luxury of a band or a posse to get your back. Not many people can do it, but Ms. Monae has proven that |
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