YO! MTV RAPS

The Weed Man – E40

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Listen to this man flow. Yes, the hook to this song is catchy and hilarious. Telling your momma that you know the weed man and that he is your friend is ridiculous, but E40 is where this track gets outrageous. I dare you to tell me another rapper with a flow like this. His exaggeration of certain syllables and entire words might strike you as odd at first, but given a little bit of time, this shit will grow on you. I also like the idea of letting a somewhat unknown rapper onto MTV and watching all the white kids go buy his record because they feel like they have to. Plus, as a bonus, most of this video would be censored for drug references and images of paraphernalia. All of this is very  good news… – JRN

Heartbeat – Childish Gamino

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I think if anyone deserves to be on MTV it’s Childish Gambino. Now, I 100% believe that statement, even if it’s not 100% correct. I think a more accurate statement would be, out of anyone I would like to see Childish Gambino on MTV. Yeah, that sounds about right. The song is good, and the video is super interesting. The video aimed high and for the most part hit its mark. It looks like it was actually done on film, with all the film flares, grain, and skips, which is impressive. Plus, I love any video that actually attempts to create a short film. -KM

This Chick is Crazy – Famous

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The poorly named Famous returns, or hits us for the first time (who would know?) with his new single This Chick is Crazy. It’s an odd spin for a rap song. Gone are the days when women were put on a pedestal and admired; here we have Famous telling us about some bitch and/or ho who is “not all there.” And he’s right, as the video shows in great detail how the bitch/ho spends her entire day on the show Cheaters, following Famous where ever he goes, and getting upset at whatever he does, which range from buying flowers (possibly for other bitch/hoes) to fucking a different bitch/ho (possibly who the flowers were for). We never find out what the dynamics of their relationship was, or whether Famous is technically cheating or not, so it’s difficult to determine what or who is actually crazy. But in the end, little of that matters, because when I watched this video on MTV, an ad for Wheat Thins brand Snack Crackers popped up on the bottom of the screen, with the tagline “This is What We Do”, and that made it all worth while. You know what? You’re right Wheat Thins, this is what we do. – RH

Am I A Psycho? – Tech N9ne feat. B.o.B and Hopsin

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This isn’t really my genre so I have no concept of whether this is considered valid or cheesy by the rap community but oh man do I love this video. I don’t know what it says about me that I totally dig this song that threatens to turn your skull into a crack pipe while two people lay tied up on the floor presumably about to get chain-sawed to pieces but whatever. Which of these guys is actually Tech N9ne? Is it crazy eyes, Urkel-with-a-grill, or the guy with the Anthrax beard whose flow switches from rapid fire to horse-tranquilizer slow? This video really feels like an aside from a horror flick where the killers took a few minutes before the massacre to enjoy a rap battle. I hope it’s a concept that catches on – I might actually be able to stomach the next installment of Saw if Jigsaw has a few psychotic inner monologues expressed through rapping.  - AS

N-WORDS IN PARIS- KANYE WEST AND JAY-Z

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I think Jay- Z and Kanye named this song so it would make it more difficult for people to talk about on the radio. They seem like they’d have that kind of sense of humor, imagining white DJs stumbling over the title, ” And next up we have ni- mumble mumble IN PARIS!”. This video starts off with a warning that it could induce seizures, also something it seems like Jay and Kanye would do because they thought it was funny. In my head they’re like gods of mischief from times of yore, doing everything they can to playfully torment with the people down on Earth. The video almost perfectly captures what it’s like to trip serious balls while at a concert, with the flashing lights and the best use of the kaleidoscope effect I’ve seen in years. Jumping between shots of the two in giant size and the crowd dancing belays the weird cocky-sexy vibe that you know is exactly what they’re going for. Once the jungle cats show up, this shit is in full bonkers mode, and is either the brain child of the two  most powerful tyrants of modern rap who are drunk on their own fame, or is an elaborate joke being played on us all by the aforementioned tyrants. It probably is some combination of those two things-MG

“Look At Me Now” – Mac Lethal

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As an early-30s white guy who works in a cubicle, I gotta admit that it’s kind of tough to relate to a lot of rap music that comes out.  That’s not to say I can’t still appreciate creativity and talent when I see it.  But I don’t have a whole lot in common with a lot of today’s most popular hip hop artists and that makes me sad.  That’s why it’s nice to see someone finally tackling the delicate subject matter of making pancakes.  Sure, the whole “nerdy-self-mocking-white-guy-trying-to-be-funny-and-rap-at-the-same-time” thing has sorta been done to death, but this is still bloody fantastic.  Mac Lethal drops some seriously-impressive rhymes in this video, varies his pace, and creates a video that I’ve watched at least ten times now.  Granted, this isn’t quite what you’d ever see on MTV because the production value is, well, it is what it is.  But you get this guy into a professional studio with a music video director that knows what he’s doing and you’d have something truly memorable.  Regardless, this is still pretty tough to forget. -BH