The videos we were watching this year.

YouTube, VEVO, Apple, Tidal, and sometimes even World Star, we spent our weekends glued to the screen. Don’t believe the notion that music videos are dead because they are just as crucial today than ever before. This year we saw more short films coming from established artists, essentially long music videos that portray a story and enables more freedom of creativity. Although the big streaming companies often made these videos exclusive to their site, it eventually landed on free sites like YouTube because more exposure will always be the end goal. We’re looking back at how 2016 became visually interesting and so we narrowed it down to our top 5 picks.

Anderson .Paak – The Season / Carry Me / The Waters

Earlier this year Anderson .Paak released his critically acclaimed album Malibu and it quickly made it one of the top albums of 2016. In this visual the West Coast singer released a 3-in-1, using 3 songs from his new album. The old school theatre look of the video definitely made it stand out from the rest.

YG – Why You Always Hatin? featuring Drake and Kamaiyah

Drake running next to YG’s Lambo is how I feel about 2016, I’m always trying to catch up. The Compton rapper dropped some major videos this year but we just had to pick this one. Not only was the song popping on the radio waves but the video also made its own kind of waves on the social media circuit.

GoldLink – Fall In Love featuring Ciscero

That classic house party video reminiscent of the R&B visuals from the early 2000’s. D.C. rapper GoldLink released this nostalgia trip and it was fresh to see the feel good vibes again.

Leikeli47 – Money

The New York rapper continues to be a mystery and we’re kind of hyped on the ski mask. Her single “Money” made an impact on the underground scene this year and we’re hoping next year we’ll get to hear more. Her music video is a mix of visuals that might not make sense as a whole but that’s probably the mystery of it.

Vince Staples – Prima Donna

A short film from the Long Beach rapper surfaced this year almost out of nowhere and deserves more praises. The visual chronicles the often dark and strange things associated with fame, success, and notoriety.

Notable Mentions:

The Weeknd – M A N I A

A Tribe Called Quest – We The People

Kaytranada – You’re The One featuring Syd

The Avalanches – Because I’m Me

Duckwrth – Rare Panther + Beach House

Capital Steez – Herban Legend

SG Lewis – Holding Back featuring Gallant

What So Not x George Maple feat. Rome Fortune – Buried