an ode to the music video
[image description: a Black femme stands in a telephone booth on the phone and looking up. they wear a translucent tan jacket, a black wig, and elbow-length gloves.]
cover image courtesy Cookiee Kawaii / The Cookiee Jar / EMPIRE via YouTube.
2020 is the year that just won’t stop. can’t stop, won’t stop, no Rocafella records. so to match this energy with some much better energy, below are just a few visuals—music videos, live performances, and visual albums—from the last few years. i curated them because they stuck with me for one reason or another in ways that so few videos do.
the beat (both music and face), the costumes, the set, the energy, the choreo, the dancers, the production values, whatever. we all need a little bit of a serve or a laugh. sometimes i don’t even like the song, but the video may just be striking. the videos are listed in chronological order from newest to oldest (within their respective categories). these hoes are explicit.
enjoy.
**
fun
Cardi B - WAP ft. Megan Thee Stallion—for some hoes in this house.
Bree Runway, Maliibu Miitch - Gucci—for when you want creativity and flow.
City Girls - Pussy Talk ft. Doja Cat—for when you tryna twerk part i.
Bree Runway - APESHIT—for when you tryna grunge up
DaBaby - BOP on Broadway—for when you miss Busta and Ludas’s visuals.
Tinashe - Die A Little Bit ft. Ms Banks—for when you cosplaying alternative.
Normani - Motivation—a bop with choreo, references, sun, and thighs.
Ciara - Thinkin Bout You—Grease but Black; it’s cute.
City Girls - Twerk ft. Cardi B—for when you tryna twerk part ii.
Ciara - Level Up—for when you want Parris Goebel’s distinct style of choreo.
spectacle
Cookiee Kawaii - Vibe (If I Back It Up)—for New Jersey club.
Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer – ALREADY—for so much damn swag.
Cardi B - Money— for opulence, strippers, and creative direction.
Pillar Point - Dove—for Kia Labeija vogueing throughout Bogotá, Colombia.
Azealia Banks - Chasing Time—for posterity.
beauty
Chloe x Halle - Do It—for some beautiful looks with a nod to the 90s and 00s.
Kelly Rowland - COFFEE—for the celebration of dark skinned Black women.
Lizzo - Tempo (feat. Missy Elliott)—for big beautiful women.
Normani - Waves (feat. 6LACK)—for the velvety richness of Normani.
APES**T - THE CARTERS—for shooting in the fuckin’ louvre.
Solange - Cranes in the Sky—for that puffy pink look, among others.
FKA twigs
645AR - Sum Bout U ft. FKA twigs—for her performance(s) as cam girl.
FKA twigs - Cellophane—for unforgettable sadness, pole dancing, and sound.
Welcome Home by Spike Jonze—for fantastic choreo despite it being an ad.
FKA twigs - Glass & Patron—for giving birth to fabric.
FKA twigs - Pendulum—for directing a video of herself in bondage.
FKA twigs - Two Weeks—for concept, multiplicity, and the song.
live performances
Chloe x Halle "ROYL" - Global Goal Concert—for committing + artistry.
Chloe x Halle "Do It" - TODAY Show Performance—for COVID creativity.
Ari Lennox: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert—for soul music.
Lizzo: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert—for recognizing talent.
Missy Elliott 2019 MTV Music Video Awards—for OG status.
Liniker e os Caramelows: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert—for diasporic pleasure.
Solange - "Cranes in the Sky" | Live at Sydney Opera House—for vision.
Tank And The Bangas: NPR Tiny Desk Concert—for #BlackGirlMagic.
films / visual albums
Solange - When I Get Home (Director's Cut)—for one Houston experience.
Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer [Emotion Picture]—for The ArchAndroid.