If you ever engage me in a conversation about contemporary pop stars, it will undoubtedly devolve into a rant about the current state of music videos which goes a little somethin' like this: The music video is a dying art form. And that is a damn shame considering that artists unarguably have more resources at there disposal now than ever. I lost my sh*t over that new Lady GaGa video, you know why? Because it's actually good.

The way I see it, there's no incentive to make good videos anymore. Even the "number one diva in the game" solicits mah boo, GaGa, and churns out this fuckery.

Despite all of this, the 2000's were a pretty good time for music video. Here are the best of the best. I started with my favorite video of the decade, but the rest of the list is pretty much ordered from good to great.



D'Angelo - "How Does It Feel" (2000)

After years and years of seeing female performers dip it low in front of the camera while wearing next to nothing, it's nice to see a man objectify himself. And it's even nicer to see it done by a man as fine as D'Angelo. Yeah, buddy. Chuuuch and tabernacle.



Sidenote: Y'all better enjoy this video. You know it made 'Lo go crazy, right? Allegedly.

Ashanti - "Rain on Me" (2003)



Sidenote: Larenz Tate will never not be fine den a bitch.

Slum Village - "Tainted"



Sidenote: Y'all remember when Kanye used to produce quality music for other artists? And I'm not talking about this either.

Eminem - "Stan" (2001)

Before he got all introspective and sh*t, Eminem was rap's demented court jester. Stan not only produced a new staple of pop culture vernacular, but it proved that Eminem was capable of producing solid work without the kitschy misogyny, homophobia or general insanity that's found in the rest of his catalog.



Sidenote: Maybe this is my black girl ignorance, but does hair bleaching with peroxide really happen that quickly?

Ciara - "Promise" (2006)



Sidenote: Remember when Ciara was hot? Those were the days, huh?

Janet Jackson - "Doesn't Really Matter" (2000)

Just the choreographed sections of this video are better than 90% of the mess that hits airwaves. Lord, that woman can (could) dance. My love for Janet knows no bounds and this is why.



Sidenote: I'm glad Janet finally has her weight issues under control. But no matter what size she is those tittay balls always stay the same.

Beyonce - "Crazy in Love" (2003)

This is the video that started it all. Without it, I truly doubt Beyonce would have become the star she is today. Yeah, that's a bold statement, but everything about this video is just right.



Sidenote: F*ck a Sasha Fierce. I'd take Beyonce over that ho any day of the week.


Kanye West - "Heartless" (2008)

Have we finally gotten past all of the undue 808s hate yet? Heartless shows that if he really, really tries, Hype Williams can produce great videos.



OutKast - "Hey Ya" (2003)
"I ain't flew all the way over here in a middle seat for y'all to f*ck up."



Sidenote: Y'all know the full length version of this video is over 7 minutes long. That was 7 minutes of video perfection. For real.

Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy" (2006)

Cee-lo and Danger Mouse were trying to give the world something we'd never seen before. Mission Accomplished.



Sidenote: So Gnarls Barkley is officially a one-hit wonder right?

Missy Elliott - "Get Ur Freak On" (2001)

Missy is an unusual artist who's always been known for her unusual videos, but when it was realeased in 2001 "Get Ur Freak On" became an instant classic. It's just the right combination of insane and hot.










Sidenote: Imma be honest, I could barely evaluate the video because I was so distracted by Missy's wig. And y'all remember when people used to wear "outfits"? Missy was killing it with the bedazzled jean set.


Beyonce - "Single Ladies" (2008)

We all know how much Beyonce loves to do the most at all times, but struck gold once she turned it down. "Single Ladies" wasn't a video, it was a phenomenon.



Sidenote: I know y'all all thought the dark-skinned girl was a man. Well it's not. Bey said it herself.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE VIDEOS OF THE DECADE?

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