The Best 25 Music Videos of 2012 (So Far)

Director: Creative Control

Any new, upcoming clique can introduce themselves as an anti-establishment collective, but what made Joey Bada$$ and his Pro Era crew stand out was that they already seemed like the total package when their "Survival Tactics" music video went viral. Amateurism isn't an excuse, and the visuals were more than good enough to convince the Internet that the young rapper was the real deal.

Director: John Ryan Manning

It's a messed up world actor Mike Gassaway finds himself in as he's being dragged in a setting he appears to have no business in from the video's start. The tension increases with Gassaway in the same situation throughout the video, and if you're familiar with the song's nihilistic creep, you know things won't get better. When it finally ends, there's a collective sigh of relief even though the actor is still struggling. On a side note, the facial expressions throughout the entire ordeal are actually hilarious in a twisted way.

Director: Figz Films

If the first half of Juicy J's video for “Riley” is a showcase for the Memphis MC's vast collection of weaponry, then the second half explains why he might need such heavy artillery. We find a paranoid Juicy holed up in an apartment, guns on his waist, a Louis bag full of money on the bed and a less than fully-clothed woman by his side. With a black-and-white filter draped over the camera, the vintage feel only adds to the suspense. When Juicy takes us 30 minutes into the past, we see the happy couple (or customer and escort) taking gunfire through the window. Perhaps that's why Juicy says he's “got a lot of heat like Pat Riley.” You never can be too careful these days.

Director: Bryan McKay & Shannen Ortale

The video for Kitty Pride's “Okay Cupid” has girls drinking tall boys of Pabst Blue Ribbon, posing with cutouts of Justin Bieber, and one of Kitty's friends rocking a Boba Fett mask. The visual style makes those ordinary circumstances feel like a weird acid trip, as random images fade in and out of the shots. Kitty pulls up pictures of Danny Brown on her computer while her delicate voice raps an ode to the man she's currently catching feelings for over an ethereal Beautiful Lou beat. All of the juxtaposition between normal and trippy made the video too irresistible, and naturally, it went viral.

Director: Yoann Lemoine

The video for Woodkid's "Run Boy Run" complements the song so well that it's hard to imagine one without the other. The video, like the song, starts out dark, confusing and a little terrifying as a scared looking boy is running from all types of evil. Just as the song begins to pick up its beautiful melodies, we see that the evil creatures aren't chasing our protagonist but rather lifting him up and aiding his epic journey. That's how you execute a concept.

Director: Tyler Cassidy

In "Haters Wanna Be Me," troll rapper extraordinaire Krispy Kreme proves that even if the video is a hoax, it's one of the funniest clips you'll ever see. He puts in work at the gym and gets crunk with his partner-in-crime Money Maker Mike while rapping in a Southern drawl. The kid's a gangster... well, not really. But it's quite hilarious to see him at least trying to live the thug life.

Director: Eric Yue

Besides being an up and coming rapper, Wiki is a teenager living in New York City. That second fact is the inspiration behind the beautifully simple video for his song "Wikispeaks." With no need for a crazy concept or fake displays of wealth, the video just focuses on Wiki and his boys messing around in NYC. The honesty is much appreciated.

Director: Spaceghostpurrp

While Spaceghostpurrp comes off just a wee-bit terrifying in his self-directed video for "The Black God," he certainly shows his talent behind the camera and on the mic. The dark video makes SGP's native Miami look more like a post-apocalyptic war zone while Spaceghost procedes to play cards and roll around with his boys. Clearly, hanging out with the crew can be original with the right vision.

Director: Parris

Welcome to the greatest pool party of all time. The visuals to "Pop That" successfully captures all of the energy and frenzy of Montana's latest single. Ricky Ross, Drake, and Lil Wayne chase after women and pop endless bottles of Ciroc. It's nothing you haven't seen before, but it's a fun look at the lives of four dudes who make up a significant part of the current hip-hop zeitgeist.

Director: Haley Wollens

"Champagne Coast" is a song that sounds like a vacation and feels like a dream. In this context, the video doesn't feel like a throwback to the '90s, but a work of art that's merely trapped in the era. There's a trance-like experience rather than a nostalgic one as the camera pans through the detailed 2D room images and dancing women. You don't wake up until the whole thing is over.

Director: DGainz

"I Don't Like" is a song filled with hostility. Lil Reese warns that his homeboy would rather use a 30-round semi-automatic gun than fistfight, and that their comrade Fredo is "a scary sight." As such, you'd figure the video would be equally as threatening, but that's not the case. Save the gang signs and weapons, Keef and his clique look like average 16-year-olds in the video. He's dancing with his crew, smoking blunts, and just having fun. Despite being trapped in the war zone that is modern inner city Chicago, bromance prevails once again.

Director: Benny Boom

Nas and Nicki just has a certain ring to it and in her "Right By My Side" video the two go shopping, enjoy a lunch date, and Nas enjoys a fine cigar while Nicki wears her man’s chain. Benny Boom directed a fitting video and while Chris Brown makes an appearance, we all know why this is really Nicki's favorite video: It ends with a few seconds of her and Nas in a serious liplock.

Director: Greg Brunkalla

Taking a page out of Biggie’s "Sky’s The Limit," director Greg Brunkalla found the perfect childhood replica for a young Danny Brown in his video for "Grown Up." The flawlessly-styled kid walks, raps, and looks exactly like the Detroit rapper with his missing front teeth, bangs, and matching hoodies. Dante Hoagland, who mastered sticking his tongue out exactly like Brown, seems to have a lot of fun in the video as the "greatest growing up."

Director: Wolf Haley (Tyler, The Creator)

This video is weird, and it makes no sense, but it's strangely and infectiously entertaining. While it's near impossible to understand what in the hell is happening, Hodgy, Domo and Tyler's get ups are hilarious and its nice to just sit back surrender any chance you have at comprehension and let the craziness wash over you. Tyler makes for a damn good Centaur, too.

Director: Max Albert

Action Bronson and Riff Raff feel larger than life in this music video, and all they're doing is walking around L.A. You could credit part of that to the drugged-out production, but a major part of that accomplishment is Albert's precise use of slow-mo and skilled editing. Bronson and Riff Raff look like enigmatic stars because of that even though they're just doing regular shit: smoking, strolling, and chilling in front of the liquor store. Maybe Chappelle was right about the benefits of slow motion.

Director: AG Rojas

While some scenes are painful to watch, director AG Rojas nails adolescent nihilism again in "Sixteen Saltines," much like he did in Earl Sweatshirt’s "Earl" video. Cringe-worthy scenes of kids being tattooed, a vomit-worthy kiss, attempted suicide, bloody hopscotch, and a finale scene of Jack White presumably perishing in a car set on fire is disturbing, yes, but the video brilliantly captures the song. The mesmerizing performance of the youth left White with only a brief appearance, which rarely happens in any of his other music videos.

Director: Romain Gavras

When you're doing a music video for three of the most talented artists in the game, then you know you have to make something epic. The irony of the video is that even though Kanye West and Jay-Z claimed the throne on their platinum collaborative album, the visuals still feel anarchic and aggressive. The video shows civilians revolting against a totalitarian state in violent, slow-mo fashion. It's intense, but then again, it's the same level of intensity that made The Throne so appealing in the first place.

Director: Timothy Saccenti

This video is all types of craziness, and a title like "The Full Retard" doesn't really suggest it should be otherwise. Here we see a eye-patched, hand-puppeted possum cracking a lady on the head with a glass bottle, getting domed out, doing lines, and playing Russian Rouletter... all in good fun, of course! The weirdest part of the video is when the possum decides to shoot a young girl right in front of El-P. Then El-P, face splattered with blood and all, reacts as if to say "Oh, you silly possum!" So, yeah, it's not the most wholesome video, but it's awesome.

Director: Chris Robinson

Filmed from the perspective of Nas' now 17-year-old daughter Destiny Jones, who makes a cameo appearance, "Daughters" takes us through Destiny's life from her born day to now. Because "Daughters" is such a loving and enjoyable song, matching that vibe in a video was a tall task but director Chris Robinson went above and beyond. The video recreates all the struggles and proud moments that Nas experiences as a father for a satisfyingly voyueristic visual.

Director: Thomas C. Bingham

Killer Mike's video for "Big Beast" could have followed the formula that most rap videos do and placed Mike, Bun B and T.I. in front of some cars with some vixens and called it a day. Thankfully that is not the case, and under the direction of Thomas C. Bingham they created an incredible video. The 9-minute epic did not entirely do away with the cars and girls, but in this incarnation the cars are chasing one another and the girls are naked flesh-eating zombies (not making that up). Add gratuitous violence and zombie killing to the already overflowing pot and you have one of the dopest videos of the year.

Director: Rakim Mayers

We swear that "Goldie" didn't make it this high up the list because of the topless models, although they certainly helped. Mayers' video stands out because of just how well it fits the song's decadent theme. A$AP is living the life and haters have to sit and watch. In the video, A$AP Rocky is rocking Alexander Wang clothes and high-end kicks while he's riding in an expensive vintage car with his crewmate Yams. In Paris. Your argument is invalid.

Director: Director X

L'chaim! Drake and Director X kindly invited us to Drizzy's induction into manhood and it made for a damn good video. From the GIF-worthy shots of a young Drake dancing to the random cameos and Wanye's panda mask, this video has it all and looks like the livest Bar Mitzah of all time. If only the ones we went to a youngins were more like this and less like a bunch of awkward 7th graders doing the Cha-Cha Slide. Either way, Mozel Tov Drake!

Director: Romain Gavras

This music video has a lot of what you'd expect for a song called "Bad Girls": colorful costumes, cool poses, copious amounts of badassery. What really takes the show, however, is the impressive stuff being done with the cars in the video. Cool is when you're filing your nails while on top of a BMW that's pulling off a two-wheeler on a Middle Eastern straightaway. Stylish is when you're heading to a party in a see-through glow-in-the-dark car. And we're not sure how safe car skiing is, but it looks fun as hell. No question: M.I.A is this year's ride or die.

Director: Nabil Elderkin

G.O.O.D. Music's "Mercy" is a song filled with lavish, absurd boasts and unapologetic narcissism that easily make it one of the best songs of the year. Director Nabil Elderkin (who worked with Yeezy on "Paranoid" and "Welcome to Heartbreak") was tasked with distilling all of that swagger into a music video. The resulting 5:34 minutes was a resounding success. The black-and-white, widescreen video seemed to be the label's visual statement to those who still weren't convinced that Kanye and crew were prepped to take over. If doubters needed a shot of multiple Kanyes spitting bars intensely to be converted, so be it. There are so many things happening in front of that panning camera in that Qatar parking garage: Cudi wilding out (even though he's not featured on the song), Big Sean's always random "Swerve" literally swerving the camera, 2 Chainz asserting himself as a star off movements alone, Pusha T showing that veteran status doesn't mean he's skipped a beat. Perhaps an actual Murciélago would've been overkill.

Director: Anthony Mandler

There is a lot to either critique or praise about Lana Del Rey's "National Anthem" video, but in the end, it can be described in just one word: awesome. When rumors of the concept first started swirling around the 'net, people weren't sure what to think, but the finished product is perfect. A$AP Rocky as JFK makes you wish you could see him in the role for a feature film, and if you didn't enjoy Lana's turn as Jackie O or their little kids, you have a heart of coal. It's nice to see someone put so much thought into the concept and execution of a music video.