10. Invisible - Skylar Grey
The top ten music videos all exemplify the beauty that music in 2011 has been, and that it has not only impacted the songs, but the amazing music videos with incredible meaning; especially since 2010 was incredibly underwhelming and overall lackluster compared to the amazing year it has been, and Invisible seems to depict this theory perfectly. 2010 was filled with the smoke and mirrors of the music industry, and while I love songs like Tik Tok and OMG, they don't have much meaning. Invisible on the other hand flawlessly show how a minimalistic song can be so powerful, and even with the music video that didn't have a massive budget or overwhelming effects manages to woo pretty much anyone who sees it. Substance is the key to Skylar Grey.
9. Britney Spears - Criminal
Miss Spears makes her debut on the Top 25 Videos with "Criminal." Let me just say that Britney has had an incredible year when it comes to videos, and Criminal really sparked my attention for some reason. It's classy, sensual, and rebellious all in one video. She looks hot in it all the way through, and the gunshot scene was visual perfection, the effects were jaw-droppingly amazing. The story is very emotional and engaging which is really the first one that is played out in her videos in a while, and well... I'm impressed. It was real quality work. Good job, Britney, good job.
8. How To Love - Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne's best video, by far. It gives me chills just watching cause it's so... unexpected. He said it would shock the world when he released it and I received no less, and I'm delighted that I was so surprised that Lil Wayne could deliver such an amazing music video. I'm sick of just hearing about bitches and hoes and seeing Wayne be such a damn thug. From the first 25 seconds you understand that this video has so much meaning already, dealing with what usually is an unspoken taboo. Then it continues with shocking yet not offensive or desperate-for-shock-value back on back moments that surprise you. It's the cold hard truth of how lives can cause of domino affect, or can beat the odds. Its down-to-earth storytelling is pretty much inspiring.
7. Super Bass - Nicki Minaj
Ice sculpture motorcycles, strawberry liquid pools, dance lines, and neon strip sessions and pillow fights in the dark. Nicki's first real smash hit was very much assisted by its colorful, eccentric, and funny music video. It didn't really have a message minus Nicki Minaj wanting to show off her potential beaus and that they may have superb asses, but the fact of the matter is that this is the first hit by a female rapper to achieve the amount of sales and success its gotten. It's a very memorable song that infuses the popularity of electropop and the return of the female rapper, and the music video, which has garnered 200 million views on YouTube in just over 7 months, reflects that. It's awesome, it's fun, and very well be one of the few iconic music videos of female hip-hop.
Chile, you better get into How To Love. I'm not taking you excluding that amazing music video, because the top 10 is the hottest brewed tea you'll find all year on ATRL.
Lil' Wayne's moments of seriousness this year were among the most surprisingly pleasing moments of 2011. And "Criminal" and "Invisible" both had very solid videos. The video for "Super Bass", while very colorful, just didn't really appeal to me as much.
****, you will address your King as the appropriate gender. Bravo.
Quote:
Originally posted by Red
Lil' Wayne's moments of seriousness this year were among the most surprisingly pleasing moments of 2011. And "Criminal" and "Invisible" both had very solid videos. The video for "Super Bass", while very colorful, just didn't really appeal to me as much.
SB *****, tho. It very well may be the second to last video we'll probably ever get from her own singles where she looks good.
6. You And I - Lady Gaga
The thing I love about this video and song is that it's so energetic and so meaningful to Lady Gaga in that it reflects her relationship with Luc Carl. She doesn't continue to do the most in a desperate move for attention like Alejandro and doesn't bore the **** out of its viewers like The Edge of Glory. Gaga finds her balance in this video. Sure, the worn down feet are a little gross, but it actually symbolizes how far she'll go for her love. She also looks really really good throughout the entire video, which is rare for Gaga honestly, minus Jo Calderone who continues to do the most (remember the VMAs, y'all?). Anyways. With this video it seemed to be a turning point for Gaga; everything after that just seemed to go right in terms of style and looks, and hopefully in the future her music will also get back to Fame Monster level, cause the world is waiting for her to turn back to the Queen of Pop she was destined to be.
5. Man Down - Rihanna
It's so hard not to be in absolute love with this video. Its greatness honestly grew with time. The shock value of it at first made it only good in my eyes, but half a year later I watch it constantly and just praise its perfection. It's an emotional story that begins with its alarming and violent ending and takes you back to what happened, step by step. There are so many scenes to praise in this video, since it takes you everywhere; the train station, the club, the streets, the bedroom, the room she's smoking in the ocean, the cave, it's just full of amazing. The fact it garnered so much attention shocks me too for controversial reasons, people wanting it banned and whatnot, when clearly they're pressed, so to that I say WEBADUMAD, MAJAH MAJAH BRRAP, ****s.
4. Hold It Against Me - Britney Spears
I'm not gonna to lie, the 4th teaser of Hold It Against Me was the first great thing to happen to music in 2011, which is exactly why I used it for my Best of 2011 banner; it symbolizes 2011's greatness to me. The 9 seconds of video gave me chills the first time. Then, the music video itself came out, and I was legitimately impressed. Lem will tell you of my previous hatred of Britney, but starting with this music video, my opinion of her really changed. The video itself, minus awkward product placement, is awesome. It was an amazing way to start off such an era. The sets were awesome, the hidden meaning was so cool to discover... the breakdown was FLAWLESS. I never listen to this song unless I'm watching the video itself cause the video surpasses the song itself.