Talk about drama. The reveal of Juice as an unwanted crasher just highlights the emo sensibilities of the middle school heartbreak anthem as well as his Death Race For Love album. The cutaways to family members wrapped up in various forms of strife and tribulations only serve to highlight the joy of their bonds at the reunion, while guest J. Cole delivers one of his strongest feature verses to date.
"Expensify This"
100. Missy Elliot, "Throw It Back"
A byproduct of the streaming era, both in terms of numbers and resources, has been the resurgence of the music video. The biz is in a boom time, and artists are channeling an increasing amount of their creative energy into their visual footprint. The results can be lewd, controversial, empowering, silly, and surprising. The playbook only requires that you stand out. Ariana Grande went total glitz and glam for the music video for her No. Seven-inch heels? A glorious ponytail that stretches for miles? Grande has described the Thank U, Next recording as a hang out with her closest friends -- plenty of snacks and bubbly. The interwebs immediately demanded an official release and the full video, and Ashley obliged. The visual features Ashley in all of her popstar glory, wearing sexy popstar garb and performing the appropriate choreography.
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Music videos are the perfect opportunity for artists to flex. For artists, it's a moment when their fans and followers—whether passive or die-hard—are fully engaged. They've got the spotlight and only a few minutes to make the most of it. Rappers have been pushing their creative bounds via their visuals in , serving up shareable, meme-able, rewind-worthy clips among a pool of less-notable productions that will go unaddressed here. The video is so cinematic that its YouTube description dubs it an official movie.
You know why? Also, " best music videos " is a somewhat valuable search phrase that, over the course of an entire year, pays off with loads of clicks and, probably, some passive revenue from Google ads. But that's a side of the business I don't deal with, so perhaps I should shut my mouth and make content. Everyone lives to serve the algorithms now, so get on board or get off the internet! While the nature of online video production and consumption may have changed, what's stayed the same is plenty of artists and directors continue to collaborate on music videos that deserve your attention. Here are the finest the medium has to offer, so check back regularly or every day, just make sure you close and reopen your browser! In it for the music? Check out the best songs of , the best albums of , and the big albums that will drop in Want more recommendations?