Bentleys,
Booties,
and Big Pimpin...
I've
Had Enough
By
Allajah Young
Most
hip-hop and some r&b videos rely on the above formula to varying
degrees. No matter how they spin it, I see the same video idea
recycled over and over again, just with different colors or locations.
They’re flashy and pointless, and as predictable as an episode
of Scooby Doo. Unfortunately, not enough artists are breaking
away from this trend of clichéd excess.
The conformity of these videos takes away from the music. Take
Busta Rhymes’ “Break Ya Neck” for example. The
song contains many clever metaphors that are visually drowned
out by flashy but unoriginal scenes.
The video starts out with Busta and his entourage speeding down
a wet street in Cadillac trucks. We soon cut to club scenes with
cameos of Ludacris and members of the Dungeon Family surrounded
by scantily clad women in poom-poom shorts. We also see Busta
wearing a thick gold rope chain with teeth to match.
Fat Joe’s Fur
Fat Joe’s “We Thuggin’” video follows the
formula almost to a tee. It starts with two girls dressed in negligees
on swings. Fat Joe and R. Kelly are bouncing about in baby blue
fur coats in a mansion packed with partying extras.
Then the video cuts to a pool scene with choreographed male and
female dancers moving in sync to the catchy beat.
After two girls fall fighting into the pool, Fat Joe and everyone
else jumps in. (Yes, he jumps in the pool in his big ugly baby
blue fur.) Then, of course, R. Kelly performs in front of a Bentley
full of girls wearing football jerseys and freakishly large diamond
chains.
Other videos that are shining examples of the formula are Ja Rule’s
“Always on Time,” Jadakiss’ “We Gonna Make
It,” and almost any Cash Money clip.
Same Directors, Same Look
I just don’t understand how artists like Ja Rule, Ludacris,
Nelly, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z and Dr. Dre create rapping styles that
are so different from each other but allow their videos to be
shaped with the same cookie cutter. Because they enlist the same
directors, like Little X, Paul Hunter and Hype Willams, their
videos continuously have the same look.
I think another reason videos use that formula are the lyrics.
Although the styles of rap are different, the rhymes are often
about the same thing.
Rappers like Dr. Dre and Jay-Z talk about how hard it is living
in the ghetto and hustling on their first album, but then success
kicks in, so the second album is more about how big their rims
are and how many chickenheads they’ve slept with. Their videos
then end up being about the same thing their songs are.
Feel Like Artists Don’t Care
It disappoints me to see videos like this, especially when it’s
a song or artist I like, such as Jay-Z or R. Kelly. Conforming
is so much easier than taking risks and being different, and it
takes a lot away from artists’ integrity when they rely on
overdone video themes. It makes me feel as if these artists don’t
care about their fans, because if they did, they’d give us
more than just a crappy everyday video.
I am tired of seeing the same girls in the same hoochie wear at
the same mansions, doing the same everything. I’m not for
or against the ho’s or the cars; my complaint is the lack
of originality.
If you’re gonna have ho’s in your video, do something
new. Have them be cyborg dominatrixes or galactic spies. Just
do something different.
Funky ‘Freak On’
Because video trends are now so blatant and recognizable, an artist
doesn’t have to work too hard to be original. Thankfully,
some artists have strayed from the norm. Videos from Outkast and
Missy Elliot, for instance, tend to have original ideas.
Missy’s “Get Ur Freak On” video, directed by Dave
Myers, only has one ingredient from the formula—the cameos
from various artists, including Ludacris and LL Cool J. Missy
does her signature bop in a funky subway covered with vines and
leaves. Her head and stretched-out neck twist amongst the vines
as dancers hang upside down covered in fluorescent cracked clay
makeup.
Then, dancers perform in tattered army fatigues on a patio while
Missy swings back and fourth from a chandelier. Even though some
of the images are eye-catching, it’s simply the lack of the
same-ole same-ole that makes this video stand out.
Successful Symbolism
I also enjoy the symbolism in Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson”
video, which was directed by F. Gary Gray and earned a Grammy
nomination this year. The video uses a house that’s falling
apart to represent life and relationships.
Dre and Big Boi run about the house trying to hold together crumbling
walls and catch drips from the leaking ceiling while various dogs,
cats and owls nod to the beat, as if they agree with the song’s
message.
And the Bentley in the video isn’t used to merely show wealth,
but to help tell the story. After Big Boi washes the Bentley to
perfection, it unexpectedly bursts into flames, representing how
unpredictable life is.
Creative Videos Deserve Support
These creative videos deserve our support. Viewers can choose
to vote for these clips on video countdowns like MTV’s Total
Request Live and BET’s 106 & Park, or on request
channels like The Box.
Still, viewer options are limited. We don’t pay to see videos,
and the playlists for MTV and BET are programmed based on record
sales. It’s not the music I have a problem with, so I’m
not going to say boycott an artist just because he made a shoddy
video.
Still, viewers can write letters of complaint to the record labels,
production companies, MTV or BET. Or just skip the videos.
I still watch video shows like 106 & Park and Hits
From the Streets, but I don’t run home to see them or
fret when I miss them because I know I’m probably not missing
anything too interesting.
Waiting for Next Trend
Today’s videos have left me dying for the next trend. I don’t
even care what it’ll be. Maybe having rare animals in your
video will become popular.
I have faith that something will come along, that slowly the materialistic
excess will thin out and interesting and innovative videos will
become popular. I can’t imagine them getting any worse.
