Video yo-yo

Jigga pulls into a darkened alley in the back of a big body Benz chauffeured by none other than Lyor Cohen, the scariest heeb in the record business. The two salute, then Jay ascends to a blank warehouse space in the freight elevator as suspense builds towards the first notes of NO ID’s horn hungry lesson in dissonance.

What I’ve learned from this video… Jay is cool enough to have a secret handshake with Harvey Keitel, he doesn’t give a shit about a hit, you can find him at a back room poker game with a stack of cash that could choke a llama, he can cross up Lebron on the court and make statements like “This is sinatra at the opera, bring a blonde, preferably with a fatass who can sing a song” without a touch of arrogance or irony.

Hit the jump for more videos from Dirty Projectors, Maxwell, Drake and Blitzen Trapper.

Speaking of llamas, the video for Dirty Projectors‘ “Stillness is the Move” has blanketed the web recently and for good reason, this IS the song of the summer, an early 90’s style greasy R&B ditty ala TLC or even Brandy. The video though, is a different story entirely, awkward white girls mimicking SWV inspired dance moves clothed in cloaks, running with wolves on a mountainside….WHAT?! The only way I could really love this video is if the intention was to make it completely off-balance and they were laughing the entire time while filming. Otherwise, its not really my bag.

This next video, by Portland based folkies, Blitzen Trapper, is equal parts LA Confidential and Mulholland Drive, its a classy affair, I have no idea what’s going on and I can’t look away.

I love tits as much as the next guy (always wanted to say that) but this video for the best rapper Jews have ever had, Drake, goes beyond a hobbyists interest and crosses into casual obsession. Drake is the dedicated coach of a well endowed, all girls basketball team. Like any good coach, he’s all about the fundamentals… stretching, flashy uniforms, and Defense, or D. Beware of potentially toxic levels of innuendo and step lightly around lines like “When my album drop b****es will buy it for the picture and n***as will buy it too and claim they got it for they sister” WOW!

It’s been 8 years since we’ve heard from Maxwell, time he’s spent just being a regular dude. The new video for “Pretty Wings” benefits from that time off. His simple visual approach to a song that asserts his respect and appreciation for the tiniest details that make a woman’s body so beautiful is a fitting homecoming for an artist who consistently documents intimacy so adeptly.

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