J Cole wrote and produced the song, impressive enough. But he also directed the video. Hollywood and major record labels are filled with video directors who are competent at best. A musician directing a music video and actually doing a good job at it is a rare feat. This is pitch perfect Film Noir story telling. A crime, a motive, and characters all revealed in perfect timing. I've watched it six times and it took the second view before I knew the story.
Enjoy.
I agree. I'd give my left nut to work with him.
Not even close. J cole is a good rapper. Not the current greatest. Can't honestly say any rapper is doing great that's not already a legend
meh, doesn't seem like anything special to me
With this being a more R n B type rap song, Miguel was the perfect feature. Great fit.
Esta- I could be wrong, but I don't see where anyone said Cole is the current greatest. Ranukam simply said he's ONE of the best going right now
Maybe if you're not into crime stories. Breaking Bad is about to go off the air and a leave a void for hard boiled story telling. It's subtle and he throws you off the trail with the rednecks and the cop; that's what makes it great. Little details like her popping up in the review and on the road. Dropping the story at the end and not knowing it's coming. Media today is too obvious and in your face. Hip hop became a joke after the Ying Yang Twins, T Pain, Lil Wayne and guys like that made it some Stepin Fetchit like caricature. Seeing smart, artistic tales like this is exactly what I want.
that was in response to - "meh, doesn't seem like anything special to me"
I like Drake too. Hip hop is similar to country music in it's quality is in the story they tell. If you tell me some hard times and make me feel you, you're doing your job.
To me, Biggie was the best story teller.
Niggas Bleed, Warning, Somebody's Gotta Die, I Got A Story To Tell
Nuff said
I'd agree. I was a teenager and introduced to him through his pop songs. Smart, it made him money and famous. But Hypnotize I didn't care at all for and is worlds away from Suicidal Thoughts, which makes you want to hug the guy.
Anyway, I thought this was great music video about a stripper. Strippers are slowly etching into movies and TV. I got to act fast before I lose my moment.
Drake and Kendrick Lamar are in the "conversation" for best rapper in the game right now, but I think you have to go with either Jay-z or Eminem.
I'm feeling this video and agree with you. I'm a fan of Kendrick Lamar but feel that he's over-hyped. I have nothing against Lil Wayne. He has skills but doesn't bring anything extra to the table.
As for NY artists, Jay Z has stood the test of time, but so has Nas. Nas doesn't sell as well but for hardcore hip-hop heads, Nas rings more true than Hova. I got love for Biggie but he didn't have enough years to shine. Who knows what Frank White would've done if he wasn't killed so prematurely.
My favorite NY MC will always be Rakim. I'm 37 so if you're younger then I ask you to understand my position. Rakim changed the rhyming game. Period, point-blank.
When y'all wanna talk PAC, let me know. I'll spend a couple of hours on the subject. Greatest rapper, to me.
Juicy jay is the best ! 8 ball
Same ole rap shit but "that's just me".
"Drake and Kendrick Lamar are in the "conversation" for best rapper in the game right now, but I think you have to go with either Jay-z or Eminem."
LOL, nah. Eminem fell off a while ago, he's definitely not one of the best going right now. Just look at the difference between his first 3 albums and last 3 albums to see proof of that. Just like boxers, rappers reach a point when they just don't have it anymore.
Slick- what are your favorite Rakim and 2Pac songs?
Slick- good points. I agree that 2Pac is the best rapper of all time no question.
When talking about greatness in hip hop, I think you have to include lyrics, flow, album sales and hits. Rakim is definitely lyrically better than Jayz, but Rakim didn't have many hits and his albums didn't sell real well. Any top 5 list of all time has to include Pac, Big, Nas, and Jay-z. What those three have in common is they have lots of hits, massive album sales, great lyrics and good flow.
I mean shit Taleb Kweli is a top 5 lyricist in the game, but he's never put in the conversation of best rapper in the game. The reason why is he doesn't have too many hits, and his albums didn't sell well.
Actually Nas sells pretty well, and people might not think he's got hits, but he's got: If I ruled the world, one mic, I know I can, got yourself a gun etc. So Nas definitely has the hits also.
GoVikings- Eminem's last album was pretty good, and that album was the best selling hip hop album in the last 5 years, so Eminem definitely hasn't fallen off. I will agree that the Relapse album is garbage.
ranukam-
MC's are just hopeless, they think record sales make them the dopest
--KRS 1
This is no where near the same league as breaking bad even for totally different mediums
Yeah, it is hard to compare a 4 min video to 40+ hours of Breaking Bad.
Once Upon a Time in The West was the greatest epic story of all time for me until Breaking Bad came along and told a seamless story for 5 television seasons. It's a masterpiece. Still though I think this music video is beyond anything considered in the VMAs.
SlickSpic - I'll have to check out Rakim's stuff. Listened to 'Paid In Full' I liked it. I'm 33 so I was a PAC fan. But Dre was #1 back then.
And since this has become the rap thread, it would be real bummy not to bring up Dirt McGirt. youtube.com
Great Hip-Hop Videos
Passing Me By, Drop, & Runnning Away-Pharcyde
I ain't Mad At Cha-2Pac. This song is about forgiveness. Very few songs about forgiveness in any genre. Great video.
Sabotage-Beastie Boys
Black Steel In Our Hour Of Chaos-Public Enemy
Planet Rock-Africa Bambatta
Deep Cover-Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg
J cole is still not even close to being one of the current best. His bars are alright on average. Even lupe outshines him and h is not that hot right now.
I grew out of enjoying music videos around the time the first one came out. Why mess up a good song (not rap crap) with lame, meaningless video.
Besides, what makes this On Topic. I've been in quite a number of SCs and have never seen a music video in any of them.
It's about a dude losing his mind over a stripper.
I like Travis Porter "Follies" music video
Because of his movie career, many people dismiss Ice Cube as a great MC but he was the MC of NWA-Ren was tight but never had the impact of Cube or Dre. Eazy had a cool voice and was a character, not an MC.
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted Kill At Will Death Certificate
All classic albums
My favorite Hip-Hop jam about dope is My Summer Vacation-Cube puts it down.
"Here is a link to the Travis Porter "Follies" video"
Ha! It's Follies!It could have been shot better, there's never that much light in Follies. But it gets point for using real strippers and not shying away from full nudity.
The one with the folwer ink under her left tit is finer than a mother fucker, why didn't they put the camera on her? None can dance shit though.
That really makes a brother want to go to follies. How were they allowed a camera in there anyway? Where this club at?
@Doc_Holliday: "This is pitch perfect Film Noir story telling. A crime, a motive, and characters all revealed in perfect timing. I've watched it six times and it took the second view before I knew the story."
Seriously? "perfect"? For real?
First off, please tell me you saw the ending before the second viewing. If not, I'm gonna go flag every single one of your reviews as bogus, since you clearly have no perceptive skills whatsoever, and can't be counted on to provide any useful information.
As soon as the dude kissed her on the couch, it was obvious how this was gonna end up. And just in case it was just me, jaded from 30+ years of clubbing, I asked my 20 year old daughter if she'd ever seen or heard of this video. When she said no, I showed it to her and told her "tell me when you think you know the ending."
You know what? She figured it out only slightly after I did, the first time they flashed back to the PLs in the car after the dude kissed her. "They're gonna kill her boyfriend."
Second, this is just more typical thug glorifying shit. Even worse, PL thug glorifying shit. "Oooh, look at me! I'm such a bad-ass playa that the only way I can get a woman is to kill my rivals. I gotta kill some mother fucker to get my hands on a stripper!"
Yeah, that's some mad game you got there, "playa". I bet women just be fallin' all over you when you walk in, huh?
Estafador - Follies is my favorite Atlanta club. Where have you been. LOL. The video was shot after hours and I don't recognize any of the dancers. During peak hours there are usually 4 dancers on stage at the same time and they do get totally naked with or without tips.
I had a good time there yesterday wearing my t-shirt that read "Anybody need to earn money for rent". LOL.
How in any way is this glorifying? There's no posturing or celebration - down and out with these love songs... thoughts of a ring for you, childish shit... anonymous flowers sent, you know coward shit... my homies gon' disown a nigga... for Pete's sake, homie pull it together. Just fuck her one time and be through it forever, but... even after they kill the boyfriend, there's no high-fives.
They go back to the club, because infatuation is an addiction, a routine you repeat, regardless of outcome. The last shot is the friend's reaction to the cops. Do they run? No, they sit and wait. He shows no anger or pride. His ego was diminished. And killing the boyfriend was not to have the girl, he's smart enough to know that won't work, it was to end it. He was already in prison in his mind, going behind real bars would be no worse. The whole thing is gloomy and depressing and a good way to fuck up your day. It's the opposite of thug glorying. It's PL shaming.
You got to understand I'm trying to do the same thing J Cole is doing. But I'm making it a comedy. I was in a depressed alcoholic daze for over a year. I don't want anyone else to feel that shit. I'd rather you laugh at me than cry with me.
Good news. Because their mother was working, I just took my two grand daughters out to lunch. I asked the oldest, 15, If she liked hip hop/rap and she said no. There is hope for the future.
@shadowcat Uh in the bumpkin part of yhe country. I'll just find something similar jn the northeast.
@GMD LMFAO. dear goodness that was seriously funny. But no that video was total garbody. From the plot to the actual filming techniques. I didn't even know the song was about strippers till I saw the video
J. Cole is one of the best rappers in the game right now.