Music videos aren't dead, they just moved to the web: Perspective!
Lil Wayne- A Milli
I got nostalgic for MTV the other day. I grew up in a town where there were more Baptist churches than gas stations, so by popular demand, the local cable provider didn't supply MTV until I was well into college. So anytime I traveled anywhere with MTV, it was on. Adolescent memories of visiting my grandparents mostly involve me splayed on their kingsize watching "Ain't Nuthin' But a G Thang" and the GnR video where Axl swims with the dolphins. Later, when we got BET, which escaped the wrath of the moralists (they did show gospel on Sunday after all), I taped Rap City and watched it every day after high school. Pre-internet, videos and second hand copies of Rolling Stone were my only outlet to pop-culture writ large.
So like a bunch of folks my age, I'm bummed by the lack of actual video programming on BET and MTV. (Also, that I don't have a cable package with MTV Jams or whatever it's called.) BUT like all y'all trollers know, the web is overflowing with videos. And increasingly, those that actually look good.
So, today, I'm kicking off what I hope will be a regular series. The best, newest, weirdest, most noteworthy fare out there.
The kick-off: New stuff that's all about messing with traditional perspective.
Up top, Lil Wayne makes a video, for "A Milli," of him, apparently, on the way to a video shoot. He talks to the camera, walks toward the camera and preens for the camera. You are the camera, and somehow this is really fun to watch.
No Age- Eraser
Wale-The Artistic Integrity
The latest anointed indie champ from Sub Pop, No Age, gets loads of blog love. This video recently made news because it was on the new MTV show that Pete Wentz hosts that's all about videos, though, apparently, they play about five videos per hour. Still, progress.
Whereas Lil Wayne's video was all about how Lil Wayne's life is all about swagger and wish-fulfillment (Lil Wayne's life looks fun), No Age are having a party and you're invited. You will get flour thrown on you, take pyschotropic drugs and run, run, run.
Whereas Lil Wayne's video was all about how Lil Wayne's life is all about swagger and wish-fulfillment (Lil Wayne's life looks fun), No Age are having a party and you're invited. You will get flour thrown on you, take pyschotropic drugs and run, run, run.
Wale-The Artistic Integrity
Wale, from D.C., has been getting big love from indie kids for a while now. Making mixtapes inspired by "Seinfeld" can't hurt. This song, from said mixtape, uses the much-played "Being John Malkovich" set-up, except it turns life into a video game. It would be stupid, but Chris Partlow is in it and Wale is a solid rapper.
