New Videos: Evanescence, Avril Lavigne, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna

Directed by Meiert Avis.


Directed by Dave Meyers.


Directed by Sanaa Hamri


Directed by Evan E. Rogers

New Videos: Shakira feat. Pitbull, Rihanna

New Videos: Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga

Review: Kanye West feat. Rihanna - "All of the Lights"

Hype Williams' latest Kanye video offers a strange combination of mind numbing 2D graphics, strobelight soaked performances and a very generous look at Rihannas décolleté.

True art comes from a perfect balance between concept and chaos. Bad art is either just chaos or just concept. I like to think that art which solely comes from chaos is still better than art which emerges from pure concept. The concept of this video however is to generate chaos. And that doesn't work out very well at all.

I have great respect for Hype's work, he is a music video pioneer who delivered some true classics back in the old days, like Busta's "Gimme Some Mo" or "Can It Be All So Simple" by the Wu Tang Clan. But he has a tendency to get lazy. First there was this letterbox thing, which in most cases seemed to be an excuse for not having to shoot anything but some cute girls wearing Gucci hats and Versace undies while wiggeling their asses in front of the camera. It all became just fashion.
But now, with this video, the simplicity reaches yet another climax. It penetrates the technical level as well, which I think is a very alarming thing, keeping in mind that we talk about an expensive Yeezy-Hype collabo. No more 35mm, no more angles, no more slow motion, no more nothing.

Hype must have earned quite a respectable amount of money for this. And we all know that Kanye tends to "buy" quality, which explains why he thinks a "good" music video must have cost at least a million bucks. But I just can't believe even Kanye is happy with this one. Some scenes, the intro shots with the little girl for example, just look awfully DSRL-amateurish. I am sick and tired of DSRL-Videos. And furthermore, it all makes no sense at all. What are you trying to tell us, guys?
The strobe thing sometimes works, sometimes is doesn't. It's very simplistic, which is not a bad thing itself. But the sudden alternation between the total mayhem of graphical impressions, lights and colors, and the completely flat and slowly edited performance scenes with Rihanna and Kid Cudi just seems superficial and crude.

The police car sequence looks pretty awesome, yeah. But you kinda get enough of that after you realize that they obviously thought that this scene would carry the whole music video, which it doesn't.
This video reaks of the idea that by putting the brand "Hype" on it, it doesn't have to be complex, challenging or visually appealing. Hype rather plunges everything into a big paint-pot.
The only concept I see in this video that there mustn't be any concept at all. Which actually is the worst concept you can think of.

Rating: 2/5

Review: Rihanna - "S&M"

Rihanna's latest video off her album "Loud" directed by Melina Matsoukas is supposedy meant to be provocative and daring. It's not.

I despise Perez Hilton's work. I've never met him, nor have I read his fucking blog. But for some reason I know the guy when I see his face. And he's in this video. You may have missed him, but that awful stomacheache you now feel after watching it, that might just be him!

I don't understand what Rihanna and Melina Matsoukas see in the idea of gaging corpulent people. Or putting Perez Hilton in their video. It's neither sexy, fun, nor has it any visual quality or sociological value to it. It's just the most ovbious analogy to the lyrics you can think of.

I liked Rihannas "Rude Boy" video, also directed by Melina Matsoukas. A colorful, fun piece and it was kinda sexy, in a somewhat innocent way. "S&M" is a hot pop song and a little less provocation and a bit more of Rihannas sensual charisma would have done a much better job. Besides some solid camerawork and a nicely paced editing, there's really not much in it for me. The sets are dull, the S&M references so obvious. I ain't into S&M, but you can literally see how those actors, or shall we say extras, aren't there. They're just not there! No sweat, no dirt. Just superficial pastic gummybear junk.

Rihanna sings: "There is sex in the air..." and we have to watch a guy on a dog leash piss on a fire hydrant? What the hell is wrong with you?

Rating: 2/5