October 2012

Drop It Like It's Hot (Pocket... or Intellectual Property)

There are hundreds of "Flava In Ya Ear" homages. But, there is only one "Drop It Like It's Hot" — an icily simple, yet sophisticated video by director Paul Hunter for Snoop Dogg. And it serves as a perfect barometer for judging a music video: If you can remember both the visual and the audio ten years later, it's an all-time great. And "Drop It Like It's Hot" is indeed that.

In fact, it's so memorable that it can be used as the basis for a Hot Pockets campaign Pocket Like It's Hot, with Snoop spoofing his own song/video with Andy Milonakis and other guests.

Video Convo: Justin Bieber "Beauty And A Beat" (Justin Bieber + Jon Chu, dir,)

Justin Bieber had the Internet all a'tizzy over a stolen laptop and the possibility that some inappropriate photos were about to leak. Well, sorry kids. It was all a ruse to set up this music video that takes the found footage concept to water park.

In that spirit, if someone stole my laptop they'd uncover countless ichat conversations about music videos with Doug Stern, like the one below.

Doug: I feel dizzy

Steve: They're apparently at a Water Park called Ragings Waters in San Dimas, CA

Doug: Like Bill and Ted.

WATCH IT: Usher "Numb" (Chris Applebaum & Grace Harry, dir.)

Usher breaks out of the box (literally) in a glossy, yet emotional video that begins with a career lowpoint and ends in catharsis. The "on display" performance is broked up by a sharp and kinetic edit that rockets through a series of personal and universal experiences that reresent the song's maxim, "What don't kill, only makes you strong." --> watch "Numb"

WATCH IT: Lana Del Rey "Ride" (Anthony Mandler, dir.)

America is open roads, motorcyles and pinball. It's Jack Daniels, guns and flags. It's biker dudes, starlet girls, shots at fame and falls from grace. It's sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll. To paraphrase Lana Del Rey, it's fucking crazy. But even if it's disconnected from the actual country we live in, it's the glamorous and dangerous image that conquered the imagination of people areound the world — which I think is one reason Ms. Del Rey has found mass success in Europe, while remaining a cult artist here in the States.

Pages