A Rewarding Video about Awards...

Grammy Family
DJ Kahled, Kanye West, Consequence, John Legend



(Note: Video no longer available at YouTube)

A concept you'll hear me mention quite often when talking about music videos is "fit". There are a lot of brilliant videos, as there are a lot of brilliant songs... but something magical happens when the pictures and the music "fit" together perfectly. As if they shot the video first and said: "Now put some backing music to this."
Something about this video with this track just fits together so well, and I really can't say enough about them both. There's this terrific feeling of both overcoming (especially in the shots of the city people) and of celebration. Along with the droning of the backing beats and the imagery and the lyrics, you feel like you're watching a story of conquering and knowing when one deserves victory. The usage of black-and-white is very tasteful, and the video also has a tremendous playful side that stops everything from being taken TOO seriously.

They Start So Young Now...

I'm Shinin'
The Pack



Oh what hell hath The Neptunes wrought? The Pack, looking like they just stepped off a paper route to record this video, are fully steeped in the stuff of bandandas, skateboards, and a more than passing attraction to conspicuous consumption. This video from the teenaged foursome from the Bay Area, however, is truly notable... infuriating youthful swagger notwithstanding. I'm Shinin' a brilliant mesh of stark, high contrast, David LaChapelle-ism photography and general letting loose and posing for the camera that comes with the hip-hop territory. Whether one believes in what The Pack is selling is not the point. The point of this video is that you wish you could be having as much fun as these boys are...

...which is, of course, impossible.