Video Roundup 4/23/17

Video Roundup 4/23-4/29

The end of April had a fairly solid offering of music videos from the likes of T.I., Selena Gomez, Lil Uzi Vert, DJ Khaled, and more. Check out everything I rounded up below, along with my reactions.

Lil Uzi Vert – Do What I Want

I’m not much of a fan of Lil Uzi Vert but I can see why people would find his music appealing. It’s simple, catchy, feel good songs that don’t have much in the way of substance outside of pure fun. “Do What I Want” is pretty much the perfect embodiment of that as it’s literally all about him having fun, and the video, while nothing particularly special, does a good job of capturing that feeling.

Jeremih – I Think Of You

To me, Jeremih is one of the more generally underrated crooners out there today. His name doesn’t carry as much cache as some of his peers but he typically delivers with some genuinely great music. I don’t think this is one of those songs, mainly because I don’t think it delivered on the potential it’s big name features offered, but it’s alright I guess. Nothing that’ll set the world on fire. The video is a weird mashup of different decades with a lot of not so subtle product placement (gotta pay those bills). This one’s not for me.

Sean Paul – Body

I still remember when Sean Paul was that guy and I couldn’t go anywhere without hearing “Just Gimme the Light.” Hell, Dutty Rock still gets play to this day. Now he’s never come close to reaching those insane heights since but recently he’s been putting out more and more music trying to recapture some of that glory. Grabbing one of the hottest up and coming rap groups, he’s come back with a song that has a sound typical of a lot of chart aiming songs these days, and the video doesn’t bring anything new to scene either. He’ll have to come with something more original than this if he wants his name to ring out like it once did.

Kygo, Selena Gomez – It Ain’t Me

If you haven’t heard this yet then I don’t know where you’ve been hiding these days. As much as it’s starting to wear thin on me, I won’t deny that it has a ridiculously catchy appeal to it that claws it’s way into your head. The video for it is actually surprisingly fresh for this type of song and manages to tell a cool little story in it’s short four minute run-time.

Roy Woods – Love You

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything from the OVO signee. He’s enjoyed a fair amount of success the past couple of years but nothing like his fellow label mates, PARTYNEXTDOOR in particular. For me the biggest thing holding him back has been his perceived lack of originality, as a lot of his music sounds and feels like so much of the other music out there. “Love You” is an alright song but it still lacks any discerning characteristics that could break him from the shadows. The sound, the visuals, all still feel like been there, done that.

DJ Khaled – I’m the One

As much as I can’t stand DJ Khaled, I can’t deny his impeccable ability to bring the industries biggest names together on a song. I mean who would have ever imagined Justin Bieber, Lil Wayne, Chance the Rapper, and Quavo would ever be on a song together. So I’ll applaud him for that, but this song right here, this song right here, is pure GARBAGE. I struggled to make it to the end with it’s cotton candy pop tunes and by-the-numbers industry manufactured video.

Of Mice & Men – Unbreakable

I’ve heard the name of the band Of Mice & Men only in passing. I had never actually heard any of their stuff before but since I had some name recognition I decided to check this one out. Not sure what I expected, but it definitely wasn’t a light, heavy metal act. I say light because while the sound’s definitely metal, it sounds much softer than the likes of Metallica which is who I associate with metal. I pretty much never listen to metal but this isn’t so bad. I don’t really know what narrative the video was trying to get across but it didn’t really go anywhere with it.

Charlie Puth – Attention

Another formulaic Top 40 song I’m sure you’ve all heard by now. It’s not terrible, but it’s nothing new either. It’ll be here for a few months, then it’ll be gone like most songs of it’s kind. The video is about as formulaic as it can get as well, so just take it what it is.

T.I. – I Believe

T.I. has definitely surprised me at just how vocal he’s been about this recent black lives movement, police brutality, and all-around civil injustices. He’s probably one of the last artists I’d expect to do so and while some people find him hypocritical because of his music’s lyrical content, I think this is just a sign of someone maturing and I’m more than able to separate the man and the entertainer. With that said, I think he does a pretty good job of articulating his viewpoints without sacrificing the music, and the video is a dope concept with visually striking and relevant statements.

What’d you think about this week’s videos? Which ones were your favorites? Did I miss any that I should check out? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to subscribe to stay up with all the new content.

Damaged City Festival 2019 | Photos | LIVING LIFE FEARLESS

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