Next up for our “Dopest of…” series is our music videos list. The art of creating visuals to music may not be as appreciated as it once was (you can draw parallels with TRL’s last years of relevancy), but at least the quality hasn’t suffered from it. This list showcases everything we dug in 2014, highlighting everything from throwback choreography routines to visuals that can double as Horror short films.
See the Dopest videos of 2014 below.
Action Bronson – “Easy Rider”
This is pretty much the best video of the year! Donning an American flag bandana, Bronson is like the new Rambo in this video as he rides a motor bike fleeing from the law after shooting guns and starting bar fights. And there’s also a throwback guitar solo in there? Come on now!
Arctic Monkeys – “Arabella”
This NSFW video by the biggest band around is a good reminder that Rock & Roll is better when it’s dirty. The black & white visuals show the band playing at a biker gang’s sex party. This one is better left without much explanation so see for yourself!
Childish Gambino – “Telegraph Ave.”
Childish Gambino left these visuals for the Because The Internet track for last before moving on to new material, but the wait was well worth it. For this we see him opposite Jhene Aiko, enjoying a bit of paradise by the ocean until things take a turn for the grim.
Flying Lotus feat. Kendrick Lamar – “Never Catch Me”
The scene is a sad one as we see a wake for two children, but as the onlookers mourn their passing the kids “wake up” and proceed to do a vibrant dance number that can symbolize the celebration of life. The whole routine brings to mind the Jazz films of the 40’s. There’s some real beauty in this.
Kendrick Lamar – “i”
2014 was a little light on Kendrick Lamar music, but what little he shared this year was more than to enough to get fans pumped. K Dot has gone on to say that this song was for the homies locked up and he video for “i” shows him at his most upbeat. The chorus’ main line states “I love myself” and nothing represents that more than seeing him dancing and grooving to this tune.
Logic – “Under Pressure”
The video for Logic’s “Under Pressure” gives us a POV look at the main character’s life, starting off in a diner and before you know it you’re in an intense raid. It’s overwhelming to see the story as it unfolds, putting you right in the middle of some heavy crime activity and then the escape attempt.
Mick Jenkins – “Dehydration”
Mick Jenkins puts our city’s violent reputation under the microscope with this harrowing look at the sort of harrowing stuff that goes down in Chicago on a daily basis. The video shows Jenkins on the bad end of a drive-by and the events that take place after that.
Mike Golden & Friends – “Every Morning Love”
This music video directed by Elijah Alvarado is gorgeous with its attention to detail by way of a complex Rube Goldberg contraption dedicated to M. Golden celebrating “Every Morning Love” with his lady. Fellas, don’t show your significant other this video unless you’re willing to top this.
*It’s also cool to note that our boy Austin Vesely had a hand on the making of this video.
The Orwells – “Norman”
http://youtu.be/KS0Fb2daJFg
The Orwells’ video for their song “Norman” was released on Halloween, so naturally it had to feature all the blood and gore of a proper Horror film. This was like if The Strokes’ video for “You Only Live Once” was given the “scary movie” treatment and if you’re into that sort of thing, this Stephen Sotor-directed clip is right up your alley.
ShowYouSuck – “Flip Phone”
This is one of the earliest-released videos on the list but we simply couldn’t forget about this one and the dope animation that goes along to ShowYouSuck’s cool raps on “Flip Phone.” Shouts to Chris Beauchesne for directing and editing this.
It also serves as a bit of a PSA: “If you think this song’s about you, then you need to get a new phone.”
Vic Mensa – “Down On My Luck”
Vic Mensa’s “Down On My Luck” is a great song that only got cooler once you add the visuals. This one plays like Vic’s version of the classic film Groundhog Day, showing the SaveMoney rep learning from his mistakes when out at the club by switching things up once he goes back to zero. Plus we get to see some straight-up choreography, a cool first.
Young The Giant – “Mind Over Matter”
The title track for Young The Giant’s latest album got its visuals by getting the band playing in a room in front of a green screen, the same screen which is used to take the masked female lead to many different settings. Things only get better when real-life petals fly through as the band plays along with the use of kaleidoscopic imagery.
