14. Can’t Stop The Prophet – Jeru The Damaja
Jeru is one of those underground mysticals that you might not have heard of, but probably should have in some capacity. His album, The Sun Rises in the East, was named one of the 100 Greatest Rap Albums by some, and also featured this track. The video is on this particular list because the artist’s use of imagery is fascinating. If someone can draw well – that’s fine. If someone can finagle a computer and make some cool effects – well, that’s great, too. If you can convey concepts, tell a story, and pack it full of symbolic and culturally relevant imagery while having really great drawings and computer graphics – that, my friend, is talent. That is what we have here in “Can’t Stop The Prophet.”
13. Behind Bars – Slick Rick
Slick Rick, easily a Hip Hop great, has been in the industry for years and therefore has had many years to be as creative and innovative as he wants to be. This video, surprisingly, was made when he was behind bars [pun intended] and wouldn’t have been made if he wasn’t. It’s on the list not because of the song, obviously, but because of the quality of imagery in this hand drawn depiction of the lyrical content. The interplay with shadows, shading, color, and aesthetics combine to paint a picture that complements the story-telling talent that only gifted lyricists like Slick Rick are capable of.
12. Reagan – Killer Mike
In Killer Mike’s eye-opening grievance against the legacy of Ronald Reagan framed in a history lesson and commentary on frustration within American culture, we see a visual display of well-thought out symbology. The shining elements of this music video pique in the correlation of the images with lyrics, an animated Reagan reminiscent of the flickering televisions of his era, and the use of bright color amidst the darkness of muted backgrounds and symbols.
11. Nothing Like This – J Dilla
This song is so J Dilla – meaning to say, it’s priceless. This video, though? During my first review I grew nostalgic, then sad, then happy, then sad, then happy again. It’s like that – a bipolar escapade through the perils of life as told through the most awesomely crafted characters and amazing effects that come together in such a simple way that you almost miss the intricate nuances (like the detail of the snow, or the complexity of the shadows). It’s compelling because it’s different, it’s raw, and it’s not normal – most Hip Hop artists use their star characters (Kanye’s bear) or animated people to convey messages – J Dilla went with a completely different approach and nailed it.
10. Bullyshit – Quasimoto
In this tribute to all things graffiti – Quasimoto finds himself inside of a wall of graffiti, battling through graffiti, to fight a creepy graffiti man. That could be twisted and turned in a few different ways, right? James Reitano, thankfully, brought balance with just enough graffiti for us to appreciate it, but not be bombarded. One thing that stood out to me is Reitano’s reluctance to use bright colors – an element that reflected the tone of the audio track in the best possible way and made this video one of our top 25.
