The music video is making a comeback, in a big way. More and more, we are seeing artists take the time (and the money) to invest in a visual that is truly a piece of art, or at least, a piece of cinematic creativity. This year proved to be an eventful one when it comes to hip-hop and r'n'b music videos. We received quite a few music videos that contained a message, music videos that parodied pop culture or else influenced it, music videos that seemed like movies. These were all factors we considered when debating and deciding on the Hottest Music Videos of 2015. No, we are not relegating the word 'hot' to the 'sexiest' videos, these are videos that go above and beyond the norm, whether it's simply a matter of quality, social commentary, or cinematography.
Click through to find out our top 25 picks.
Young Thug- Best Friend
Director: Be El Be, co-directed by Young Thug
Young Thug is definitely one of the rap game's most outlandish figures, and his visuals reflect that. While his penchant for doing weird shit has made him a polarizing artist, it's also one of the most entertaining factors about him-- and he is an entertainer, first and foremost. In the music video for the hit "Best Friend," Thug heads to a forest, driven by a chauffeur who is in fact himself, where he proceeds to bust some jittery dance moves with a double cup firmly in hand. Later, Thugger sits down at the dinner table with friends, who are about to chow down on Thug's head, which seems to puzzle the guests at the table but not Thug.
Action Bronson- Actin Crazy
Director: Syndrome
The visual for Action Bronson's Mr. Wonderful single "Actin Crazy" was a green screen spectacle. Bronsolino sits down in front of the green screen, before heading on a series of adventures, which include tumbling through outerspace, flying a bird-snake-machine hybrid, soaring through the clouds with a basketball that's lit on fire, and generally acting crazy.
Freddie Gibbs- Pronto
Director: Nick Walker
Gangsta Gibbs definitely kept it the most G in his black and white music video for "Pronto." Gibbs maintains a street aesthetic in his sound but that doesn't mean he neglects his visual aesthetic-- he's quality all around, from the sound to the look. "Pronto" visuals have Gibbs lying in a bathtub covered in slithering snakes-- it's enough to make the viewer feel uncomfortable, so we can't imagine what that would have felt like in real life. This, mixed with the fact that it's a black and white visual, helped keep a dark vibe that matched the record.
Belly- Who Am I
Directors: Nick Roney & Luis Soto
Belly may be an artist that flew under the radar for most people this year, but he's poised to have a big 2016 now that he's signed to Roc Nation. With the Roc Nation signing, we received a few dope visuals from Belly off last year's Up For Days mixtape. One stood out above all the others though, the creepy video for "Who Am I," a sister video to the even creepier "Maison." The visual starts with Belly laying on the ground, surrounded by cops, a puddle of blood pooling around his head. The video's perspective is always looking down on Belly's face, from there, he heads to the hospital, and the doctors attempt to revive him. We head with Belly to the morgue, and finally to his grave, where his body lights on fire and burns up-- possibly signifying his cremation, or else, hell.
A$AP Rocky- L$D
Director: Dexter Navy, co-directed by A$AP Rocku
What else would A$AP Rocky do for a song called "L$D" if not take us on a visual trip? The psychedelic-rock influenced song has an equally psychedelic video. Rocky starts off, appropriately, by smoking a blunt before we spiral into a colorful world that includes Rocky's Asian bae.
Big Sean- Play No Games
Director: Mike Carson
For Big Sean's "Play No Games" music video, he took some inspiration from the '90s. The video has Sean Don playing Martin Payne, from the '90s sitcom "Martin," while Sean's friends and featured artists take on different character roles. We even get a cameo from Martin Lawrence.
Chris Brown & Tyga- Ayo
Director: Colin Tilley
Chris Brown and Tyga show us just how much fun their lives are in the video for "Ayo." It starts with C Breezy taking a selfie with his cash, while a dump truck behind him relieves a pile of cash in his pool. From there, we get deeper into luxuries for the sake of luxury-- exotic animals roam the mansion, fancy cars are washed by men in black masks, bitches "play" polo on horses, and to top things on, Breezy and T-Raww take on each other in a car race.
Tory Lanez- Diego
Directors: Zac Facts & Tory Lanez
Tory Lanez co-directs the cinematic visual for fan-favorite "Diego." The record by itself is a movie, so the visual just amplifies that further. Tory rocks all white as he brings the lyrics to life in front of a run-down house, with a barking pitbull and an old school Rolls Royce by his side. In a separate scene, Tory is surrounded by bad bitches smoking and touching each other, underwear-clad. The slow-moving visuals works alongside the song's pace.
Future- Where Ya At
Director: Sam Lecca
This video was pretty anticipated before it dropped. It found Future on a rooftop, surrounded by stormy clouds, flanked by DJ Esco and Metro Boomin. When it cuts to Drake, he's actually rapping at his reflection (for some reason this is hilarious), surrounded by the same stormy clouds. Finally, the WATTBA rappers link up together at an oval table, with glasses of wine on deck.
Ty Dolla $ign- When I See Ya
Director: Elliott Sellers
This was a rather unexpectedly weird music video, in a good way. It was cinematic, almost reminiscent of a horror film, with an all-around spooky vibe. The visual starts with close-up, quick shots of buzzing mosquitos around a light bulb, Ty Dolla $ign's eyes, orchids, and a white car squeaking from the sounds of sex. All these things could be interpreted in a variety of ways. These shots make reappearances through out the rest of the video, a flash on the screen, before returning to either Fetty Wap or Ty Dolla $ign in a small room, with two women, and light pouring in through half-opened blinds.
Jay Rock- Vice City
Director: Joe Weil
Although the visual for this song basically takes place in just one room, it keeps you entertained for all the things that drop down/enter the room, while each Black Hippy rapper owns the space with their quirky dance moves, paralleling the beat. As Kendrick moves toward the front of the screen, big booty bitches slide down the polls behind, and become an intertwining factor of each scene. While Jay Rock is rapping, a woman behind him moves from the couch, to the kitchen, to the bed, following his lyrics. When it's Solo's turn, he busts threw a window, and as he makes his way towards the screen, he grabs a baseball bat only to have the pinata evade his reach. Q may have the least exciting scene, with a simple spotlight shining down on him, but the shot of him resting his face on an ass is gold.
The Weeknd- The Hills
Director: Grant Singer
Part of the reason this video made such a big impact was because no one had heard the audio beforehand-- and the fact that it sounded like a return to The Weeknd's mixtape days obviously went over well with XO fans. The hard-hitting synths of the record open up the visual to a suburbia scene, and an old school-looking car tossed upside down. As soon as Abel's vocals start, we see a hand open up the upside-down car door, as the singer proceeds to exit the crashed vehicle. Soon, a girl follows suit, and she's obviously upset, pushing and shoving The Weeknd. The remainder of the visual is simple but effective, as Abel walks along the street at dawn, blood dripping from his forehead.
M.I.A.- Borders
Director: M.I.A.
This self-directed video came with quite the message. M.I.A. managed to fuse pop-driven music with political and social message-- the hook itself is poking fun at some of our pop culture-driven tendencies (bae, smartphones), and later, in contrast, belittling worldly, important issues (values, beliefs). The visual brings the message home, with refugees trailing behind M.I.A., climbing up fences, and attempting to cross waters.
Father- Everybody In The Club Getting Shot
Director: PrettyPuke
Father's I-don't-give-a-fuck raps match his equally no-fucks-given music video. In one of the most glorious visuals of the year, Father and Awful Records hit a rooftop and an underground parking lot, each donning various colors of pink, and seemingly having a good time-- twerking, sucking on pink guns, playing kiss the bottle with a gun, you know, the usual party activities. If you don't watch til the very end, you'll miss Father gruesomely killing everyone, with a pink rifle.
Missy Elliott- WTF
Director: Dave Meyers & Missy Elliott
Obviously the Missy Elliott comeback video had to make an appearance on this list, if not just for nostalgia's sake. For Missy's new single, "WTF," featuring Pharrell, she brought out all the tricks. From funky outfits to crazy dance moves, "WTF" didn't miss a step. There was also a fair share of just random weirdness, which is trademark Missy-- like puppet Pharrell. Who doesn't want to see Pharrell as a puppet, though?
Travis Scott- Antidote
Director: Travis Scott
This song is creepy enough with just the audio, when you think about it. The visuals brought that to a whole new level. The circus-esque vibe of the video has an abundance of girls, all of whom are wearing glowing green clothing and make-up, dancing around Travis Scott. Some of the girls are locked in cages, while men wear scary masks. It definitely gets freakier as the video progresses. Also who peeped that random cameo from Ricky Hil?
Action Bronson- Baby Blue
Director: Lil Chris
Bronsolino makes his second appearance on this list with his music video for the Chance The Rapper-featured "Baby Blue." Flanked by his friend and affiliate, Big Body Bes, Bronson channels "Coming to America" for the video. There's not much else to say.
Rihanna- BBHMM
Director: Rihanna & MegaForce
This music video was definitely a big event when it was released. The 7-minute adventure featured a killer Rihanna (literally) and a posse of reckless bitches. Perhaps riffing off her line, "your wife in the backseat of my foreign car," RiRi and friends kidnap a rich white lady and tie her up, bringing her along for a few activities that include chilling on a freight boat mid-ocean, and tanning in lounge chairs in the middle of nowhere. You also get to see Rihanna wrapped in skin-tight see-through plastic-looking dress, nips out and all, and, perhaps even better/more important (RiRi nipples are almost an everyday occurrence after all) Mads Mikkelsen from "Hannibal."
Drake- Hotline Bling
Director: Director X
Of course, as we near the top of the list, these are bigger music videos that left quite the impact, longer than a singular day. Drake's visual for "Hotline Bling" was not only highly anticipated, it became great fodder for the internet and pop culture in general. It not only encouraged a slew of memes of Drizzy's behalf, it took from, and reminded us of, a few early 2000s music videos. Even so, it was updated to reflect our modern times. Perhaps the most important aspect of this video is Drake dancing. Drake's awkward, seemingly out of touch or "uncool" dance moves will be remembered in the long run, and are undoubtedly imitated by youth around the world. Making uncool cool, as only Drizzy can.
Kendrick Lamar- These Walls
Director: Colin Tilley and The Little Homies
Kendrick Lamar gave us quite the music video for "These Walls," similarly to Rihanna, the video lasted around eight minutes, and told a story, or a "black comedy." It all starts with ya boy Moochie, telling us about how Kendrick Lamar is to blame for his imprisonment. We then head to a seedy motel, where various seedy activities are going down in different rooms. We get a glimpse behind each wall, and things get more chaotic from there as the story continues to unfold, with the introduction of Kendrick and Terry Crews. It's actually a lot to digest, but it's worth it.
Lil Dicky- Save Dat Money
Director: Tony Yacenda
This video was hilarious and epic at the same time. Keeping perfectly in line with the theme of the song, Lil Dicky goes on a quest to create an extremely lavish music video, for none of the cost. It ends up being very entertaining, as he knocks down doors of mansions in an attempt to find a crib that'll let him shoot inside, he co-opts T-Pain's own music video, and convinces a car dealer to let him borrow a Mclaren. It's actually another visual on the lengthier side, but time flies when you're watching Lil Dicky save his money.
J. Cole- G.O.M.D.
Director: Lawrence Lamont
J. Cole dropped quite a few music videos from his 2014 Forest Hills Drives album, most of which seemed disconnected to the songs themselves, at least, at first glance. Most were not traditional hip-hop music videos, either, and Cole was barely ever seen rapping the lyrics for the camera. For his album banger, "G.O.M.D.," J. Cole takes us back to slavery in the south. Cole himself plays a slave who works inside the home, as opposed to someone who endures the field-- and thus we see a disconnect even among his fellow slaves because of this. Nonetheless, Cole plans a revolt and secretly brings rifles out to the rest of the slaves, who later hold their masters at gunpoint.
Cole actually did an interview about the video, and revealed the true meaning he was going for here: "The video is really more of a commentary on the need for unity and togetherness more so than it is a comment on racism, because [the black community] knows—we all know about oppression. We’re all aware of that." He continued, "What we’re not aware of is the dysfunction within our own community,” he continued. “You know what I mean? The fact that there are levels to us economically and because of the different skin colors within our own race. We’re not aware of that."
Vince Staples- Senorita
Director: Ian Pons Jewell
Vince Staples is one of the most underrated and most outspoken artists in our current rap landscape. His debut album, Summertime '06, did not have one bad song on it. The single, which cleverly turns a Future sample into a veritable Future hook, received a poignant black and white visual. As Vince exits his home, somewhere in the West Coast we are to assume, things may seem rather normal at first. But as he walks along, we get an exaggerated, parodied view of the 'hood' or a rough neighborhood. A heavily-tatted man walks in front of a group of similarly-looking youth, holding up a 'bible' (with Vince's logo) as he walks, while those behind him fall one by one-- it's not until mid-way we find out there are cannons shooting the individuals down. That's not the only plot twist though. As the video comes to an end, each one of these caricatures smooshes their face up against a glass screen-- as the camera pulls away, we see that a nuclear white family has been watching this scene unfold the entire time, safely viewing from behind glass. It's disgusting, and thought-provoking.
Drake- Energy
Director: FLEUR & MANU
Drake's second music video to make the list is a doozy. This one was another iconic music video that defined pop culture this year, and drew from it. It was another meme generator as well, although, Drizzy took on the roll of meme-ifing people within the video too. This video is full of eccentricities, including Drake's face transplanted onto Oprah, Drake's face as Miley Cyrus, Drake's face as Floyd Mayweather, Leonardo DiCaprio and the list goes on and on. He basically summed up the first half of 2015 in visual form. If there's one thing this video managed to do, it was to keep you hooked for the length of the song. It also put everyone that Drake impersonated on a similar level-- haters tryna drain them of their energy.
Kendrick Lamar- Alright
Director: Collin Tilley
Kendrick Lamar's music videos made our Thanksgiving list of things we're thankful for, so it should be no surprise that two visuals from the TDE rapper made it on to our year-end list. "Alright" is another stunning visual, with hard-hitting graphics, that are extremely timely given the amount of police brutality that was exposed over the past year, and the riots that followed suit. After a close to 3-minute intro which shows the harsh reality many are currently living in, the song finally starts. Kendrick floats along the streets, while in other scenes people are dancing atop police cruisers. Although the visual started from a pretty depressing angle and view of the world, we are quickly uplifted when Kendrick begins to fly-- he exudes a positive energy that is infectious for the people within the video too, as they stare in awe at this flying man. The whole idea is reflected in the song as well, which keeps a certain amount of positivity despite being a statement on certain social issues that are bringing us down.
Despite the sense of optimism we get while Kendrick is flying around, things come crashing down at the end of the music video, Kendrick included.