The Best Music Videos of the 2000s

From Pittsburgh Slim's “Girls Kiss Girls” to Ludacris's “Get Back”, these are the best music videos of the 2000s.

25 things outkast andre 300 heart broken twice
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25 things outkast andre 300 heart broken twice

This feature was originally published on November 16, 2009.

We might be getting close, but we're not done sifting through every conceivable facet of Complex culture from the last decade (2000 - 2009) in our Best of the 2000s series. Next up is that hallowed haven of all things comedic, thuggish, and surgically enhanced. No, not professional wrestling—music videos! Specifically, the best music videos of the 2000s.

Short films integrating a song dates back to the time when film itself was first invented, but skyrocketed in popularity in the 80s with the advent of MTV (Music Television), which originally made music videos its primary and only programming to watch. Some might argue that these were the golden years of the music video, but we beg to differ. While we don't dispute the star power of those putting out the videos in the '80s and '90s, the 2000s welcomed a cinematic renaissance that helped music videos for pop rock and burgeoning rap alike reach a new level of iconic. Pop stars like Britney Spears made the decade's biggest pop songs that much more iconic, while rappers like Kanye West created visuals that would be remembered as not only the best of the decade, but also as some of the best videos of all time, full stop.

Sure, the record industry may not be what it once was, but that doesn't mean that the past decade hasn't seen hundreds, nay, thousands of videos that deserved consideration in our countdown. But we only had room for a cool hundred, and the coolest hundred we found. So set aside a couple of hours, make yourselves comfortable somewhere where people won't judge you for your viewing habits, and vegetate your way through the best music videos of the 2000s.

100. Drake "Best I Ever Had"

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Year: 2009

Director: Kanye West


Drizzy and Kanye flipped the script of this love ballad into a bouncy bouncy video—it's basketball, people—that introduced us to Rosa Acosta's stretching talents. Besides the T&A, the best part of the video is Coach Drake encouraging his girls to "take that D." Lolz.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The video was filmed in a high school gym in Brooklyn.

99. Flight of the Conchords "Carol Brown"

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Year: 2009

Director: Michel Gondry


Fuck a keytar, them New Zealand boys know how to shred on the video-editingtar. Or so we're led to believe when Michel Gondry combines with Flight of the Conchords for a synergistic shit-white-people-love-splosion.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The guy who plays the man for the line "Jan met another man" is Gondry himself.

98. E-40 f/ Keak Da Sneak "Tell Me When to Go"

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Year: 2006
Director: Bernard Gourley

40 Water let the world in on his hometown's hyphy movement with this b&w video that plays like half dread-shakin' party and half beautifully shot documentary. By moving the energy of Oakland into a decaying, abandoned church, Gourley makes the ordinary seem ethereal.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
The fast food scenes were shot at Ben's Burgers (a.k.a. Ben's Dairy Freeze) on MacArthur Blvd. in Oakland.

97. Pittsburgh Slim "Girls Kiss Girls"

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Year: 2007

Director: Ray Kay


Hmmm, hot chick undresses and does all sorts of freaky stuff through her webcam. Hot chick is Penthouse's 2007 Pet of the Year, Krista Ayne. What part of that makes this video anything less than an enduring testament to the visual medium?

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Pitty Slim signed a five-album contract with Def Jam...but got dropped in 2008.

96. 50 Cent "Wanksta"

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Year: 2003
Director: Jessy Terrero

50's first video after the shooting, back when Pimpin' Curly wasn't even a twinkle in his father's eye. Riding around in Hummers, rocking throwbacks—yup, sounds like 2003 to us.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
According to the director Jessy Terrero, the models for "Wanksta" had to be begged to participate in the video, and were not paid their full rates. This was before 50 Cent sold a gazillion-jillion copies of his debut album, of course.

95. Busta Rhymes f/ Mary J. Blige, Rah Digga, Missy Elliott, Lloyd Banks, Papoose & DMX "Touch It (Remix)"

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Year: 2006
Director: Benny Boom / Busta Rhymes

Watching Busta and Spliff get schooled by a group of pint-sized steppers is quality enough, never mind the star-power punch this video is spilling over with. They even color coded the video so we'd be able to tell the artists apart. Awww, how considerate.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Containing a sample from "Technologic" by British band Daft Punk, this video went on to win Best Rap Video at the 2006 MTV Music Video Awards.

94. Elephant Man "Pon De River"

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Year: 2003
Director: Wayne Isham

This vibrant color splash of a video introduces yet another dance for dancehall lovers to master in the club, Gi Dem A Run. Now you have an excuse to run to the other side of the club when shorty's not making the cut—it's not you, baby, it's the dance!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Originally called Dumbo in his youth due to his large ears, O'Neil Bryan grew up to be dancehall superstar Elephant Man. Being rich is the greatest revenge.

93. Elton John "I Want Love"

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Year: 2001
Director: Sam Taylor-Wood

How does a fiftysomething pop star get a video on TRL? By hiring someone else to lip-sync his song, dummy. And it would help if it was brilliant actor Robert Downey Jr., in his very first appearance after a high-profile trip to rehab. RDJ's straight-faced, contemplative walk around the house gave a whole new meaning to Elton's sad and hopeful song.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
He repeated the lip syncing formula with his next video, "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore," featuring Justin Timberlake dressed up in '70s-style Elton gear.

92. Kelis "Milkshake"

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Year: 2003

Director: Paul Hunter


Video treatments don't get easier than this—"It's called 'Milkshake,' let's set it in a diner!" The video effectively captures the levity of the catchy hit, even if it doesn't exactly clear up the titular innuendo: Ass? Head? Squirting???

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

In addition to appearing on an episode of Family Guy,  "Milkshake" has popped up as an Internet meme incorporating scenes from the film There Will Be Blood. 

91. Gnarls Barkley "Who's Gonna Save My Soul?"

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Year: 2009

Director: Chris Milk


Complex homie Jorma Taccone gets his heart ripped out while being dumped in a diner, and watches said cardiac organ bleed all over the formica (not to mention a couple of plates of peas). You know it's realistic 'cause Jorma's ex doesn't even bat an eyelash—that's cold!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The average human heart will beat 2.5 billion times over the course of a normal life span.

90. Fabolous f/ Nate Dogg "Can't Deny It"

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Year: 2001

Director: Little X


The throwback king's debut single was an instant hit, thanks largely to this simple, flag-covered video that made good use of Little X's rhythmic editing technique. And in the sensitive weeks following 9/11, its patriotic colors made it one of the only rap videos that MTV would play. True story!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The video's striking leading lady, Trinidad Mann, has also played Janet Jackson's body double in recent years.

89. Rich Boy f/ Polow Da Don "Throw Some D's"

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Year: 2006
Director: Bernard Gourley

We don't ask a lot of our Southern rap videos—just give us some Cadillacs, thick chicks, and country-lookin' shit. "Throw Some D's" delivers on all counts, with the added bonus of the three white girls rapping along with Polow on his second verse. They needed more screen time.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Keri Hilson appears in the video and in two songs ("Good Things" and "Lost Girls") on Rich Boy's self-titled debut.

88. Styles P "Good Times (I Get High)"

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Year: 2002
Director: Jessy Terrero

Styles P's video for his biggest hit has him so high that he passes out in a club bathroom, comes to, and starts seeing wild shit. We wanna burn whatever he smoked—except for the waking up on a bathroom floor part. Not too hygenic, Holiday!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Styles P's last name, believe it or not, is Styles. Sheek Louch's last name, though, is actually Goldberg. Happy Hanukkah, Sheek Louch!

Flying Lotus "Parisian Goldfish" from Eric Wareheim on Vimeo.

Year: 2008

Director: Eric Wareheim


All the blog posts say this video is NSFW, as in "Not Safe For Work," but that really depends on where you work. If your boss has no sense of humor and you're not allowed to watch animated sex, than yeah, don't watch this. But, for most of us, it's all good. But you can't watch it here, so watch it here.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Eric Wareheim is Eric from The Tim and Eric Awesome Show. If you've never seen it, do.

86. The BPA f/ David Byrne & Dizzee Rascal "Toe Jam"

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Year: 2008

Director: Keith Schofield


Oh, man: what is it about intentional censorship that actually makes it more titillating? The best use of bars since John Wayne Gacy got locked up.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The BPA (Brighton Port Authority) is one of the many stage names of Norman Cook a.k.a. Fatboy Slim.

85. Gorillaz "Clint Eastwood"

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Year: 2001

Director: Jamie Hewlett and Pete Candeland


A lot of the Gorillaz steez—the rock-rap mashup; the anime-ish characters—seems obvious now, but when they dropped, they ushered in a whole new ball game. And synchronized, red-assed, pink-nippled dancing gorillas? Yes, we're wondering why we didn't think of that.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The scene where Del summons the zombie gorillas from the graveyard is a nod to the ending of the Clint Eastwood film The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

84. Soulja Boy "Turn My Swag On"

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Year: 2009

Director: Matt Alonzo


Hate on him all you want for having no real message in his music, but at the end of the day, Soulja Boy is gettin' it. Watch as the rapper flosses (and brushes his teeth) and tells the world to get off his back. Fuck it, you'd be smiling too.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Soulja Boy was rumored to have been romantically involved with Rosa Acosta, which at least gives every guy in the universe a legitimate reason hate on dude.

83. Ludacris "Southern Hospitality"

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Year: 2001
Director: Jeremy Rall

Luva Luva cruises through the A, throwin' bows everywhere he goes. After getting hit by a car in an unfortunate groupie accident, he's reborn with his afro blown out, rapping the entire second half of the song while floating upside down through the streets.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
The legendary DJ Red Alert makes a cameo at the end.

82. The White Stripes "Seven Nation Army"

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Year: 2003

Director: Alex and Martin


Cascading triangles assault the foreground with ever-changing images of Jack and Meg White, skeletons, and elephants—yeah, something like that. Apparently there's some deeper meaning that ties into JW's love of the number 3, but we just think that shit looks cool.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The rumor that watching the "Seven Nation Army" video sends Mary Hart into epileptic convulsions is sadly false.

81. Britney Spears "I'm a Slave 4 U"

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Year: 2001
Director: Francis Lawrence

Britney has long been surpassed as pop's premier hot chick, but at least we'll always have this: A hot and sweaty clip that oozes with the singer's (then) newfound sexuality. That small of her back? *Bites fist* Damn, Britney look'ded good.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
The video came out three weeks after Spears debuted the song at the MTV VMAs in a live performance that memorably included an albino snake.

80. Fatboy Slim "Weapon of Choice"

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Year: 2001
Director: Spike Jonze

Christopher Walken's flight around the L.A. Marriott sealed the deal for us: This guy is a fuckin' weirdo. "Weapon of Choice" won six MTV awards in 2001, and was cited as the best video of all time in a 2002 music video survey by VH1.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Christopher Walken was trained as a dancer in musical theatre prior to his acting career.

79. Kylie Minogue "Come Into My World"

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Year: 2002

Director: Michel Gondry


For the final single from her international breakthrough Fever, the Aussie hottie (don't front!) hired the crazy Frenchman for this clever clip. Kylie takes a stroll around a busy Paris block, each time running into a former version of herself at the video's starting point.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Gondry used a similar concept in the 1997 Neneh Cherry video "Feel It."

78. Utah Saints "Something Good"

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Year: 2008

Director: Eran Creevy


On top of the "real" story behind the Running Man and the well-endowed women jumping up and down, this video carries an important message for guidos: Not all 127-bpm dance tracks have to be accompanied by fist pumping.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The "chap" with the "freshest moves" is rocking Jordan IIIs, which dropped in 1988, a year before the music video's supposed setting. GOTCHA!

77. Slim Thug "I Ain't Heard of That"

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Year: 2007
Director: Hype Williams

The Hype Williams split-screen special features Pharrell, along with Bun B and Slim Thug exchanging verses in front of the most time-tested backdrop of all: bikinis and Bentleys. Watch as Skateboard P flashes his gold fronts and tries to achieve the ultimate level of street cred. Tell us again why you went Star Trak, Thugga?

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
The original version of this song featured Jay-Z, but it never made Slim's Already Platinum album.

76. Mighty Casey "White Girls"

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Year: 2003

Director: N/A


When people talk about BET Uncut, videos like this one are why. Horrible production values, horrible lip-synching, and horrible, horrible rapping come together for a sublime realization of shittiness. There's comedy to be plumbed from atrocity, but there's more to be plumbed from mediocrity.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The song somehow became the theme for the Wayans Brothers shitstorm White Girls—the sequel to which is being written AS WE SPEAK.

75. Jay-Z "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is...)"

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Year: 2007
Director: Chris Robinson

The fancy clothes, famous cameos, and flowing champagne make this a fairly standard Jigga video, but what sets it apart is that it's the first to feature Hov and Nas side by side. (Their two-slap/salute greeting went all-city with the quickness.) All that's missing is Dame to pour some liquor on those hoes.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Robinson personally sought out Samgoma Edwards, the actor who played the young Jay-Z, after seeing Edwards perform in a homemade clip called The Young Hov Project.

74. R. Kelly & Usher "Same Girl"

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Year: 2007
Director: Little X

The entire single, which is literally a sung conversation between the artists, functions more as a mini-musical than a typical music video. It'd be hard to imagine the song working without the video that puts their conversation into some context for us. It also is beyond hilarious that two dudes sit around their enormous houses with such pensive expressions. Lighten up, guys, you're rich.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
The song was originally recorded by upcoming R&B group Nephu over a year before R. Kellly and Usher's version leaked.

73. Jamie Foxx f/ T-Pain "Blame It"

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Year: 2009
Director: Hype Williams

If you've yet to hear "Blame It" in a club, you haven't properly experienced it. The song manages to invoke a dance floor excitement in you even if you're stuck in traffic (or just an old white guy like Ron Howard). Hype Williams' clip perfectly captures the spirit of the song with its mansion party theme, endless amounts of alcohol, and guest stars getting it in. Who knew Jake Gyllenhaal got down like that? Besides the late Heath Ledger, we mean.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
"Blame It" stayed atop the Hip Hop/R&B charts for 14 consecutive weeks.

72. OutKast f/ Sleepy Brown "The Way You Move"

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Year: 2004

Director: Bryan Barber


Sometimes you have to look past the obvious—the '70s aesthetic of Big Boi's Luscious Leftfoot persona, Fonzworth Bentley's relentless buffoonery—in order to find what makes a video timeless. And in this case, it's Ki Toy "The Body" Johnson and the employees of her body shop. Pun intended.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Kenny G and Earth, Wind, & Fire collaborated on a cover of this single, with Philip Bailey and Maurice White on vocals. The cover peaked at #12 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. No word yet on their follow-up, "Trap Goin' Ham."

71. Radiohead "House of Cards"

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Year: 2008

Director: James Frost


Two technologies were used to capture the 3D images for this video, and guess what? Neither are cameras nor lights. They're called Geometric Informatics and Velodyne LIDAR. Geometric Informatics scanning systems produce structured light to capture 3D images at close proximity, while a Velodyne Lidar system that uses multiple lasers...Uhhh, just watch the making-of video.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The Radiohead crew were all friends in high school, and Johnny and Colin are brothers. Keepin' it close.

70. Johnny Cash "Hurt"

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Year: 2003
Director: Mark Romanek

Cash's cover of the Nine Inch Nails song about depression, loneliness, and addiction is haunting on its own, but when you add his worn face, his Nashville home, the House of Cash museum, and archival footage of his life (both highs and lows), it makes "Hurt" all the more profound. Consider that June Carter, his wife of 35 years, died shortly after appearing in the video, making Cash a widower until he died just four months later, and it's impossible to not get choked up by this one.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Trent Reznor initially thought the Cash cover of his song might be too gimmicky. After he watched the video, he gushed: "Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps... Wow. I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine anymore."

69. Nelly "Tip Drill (The E.I. Remix)"

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Year: 2003

Director: Benny Boom


Of all the music videos to depict woman as nothing more than sexual objects, Nelly's BET Uncut classic, depicting the St. Lunatics partying with a houseful of dimes, was the one to get feminists the most upset. Maybe it was the credit card being swiped between a girl's ass cheeks? Could be, but we can't imagine why. We're in a RECESSION, people—spending is good!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Due to protests over the song and video, Nelly canceled a scheduled appearance at a Spelman College cancer fundraiser in 2005.

68. Ghostface f/ Jadakiss & Comp "Run"

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Year: 2004

Director: Rick Mordecon


Everything you need from a "street single" video: Jail, PJs, Jadakiss's best impression of a menacing baby turtle, and unintentionally hilarious D. Coles green-screen action. It's half video, half electronics-store commercial!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The jail scenes were shot at the Bronx House of Detention for Men, which was built in the '30s as a WPA project. In other words, you have FDR to thank for this video.

67. Le Le "Breakfast"

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Year: 2008

Director: Parra


The first video off Le Le's debut album, Flage, features one of Parra's signature large-bottomed ladies acting out the lyrics, which are essentially, "Girl, you nice, like breakfast." Smells like a hit to us!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Parra's clothing line, Rockwell, can be purchased at rockwellclothing.com. Oh, and the band got themselves a Converse in Fall 2009.

66. The Mars Volta "Televators"

vimeo.com

Year: 2004

Director: The Saline Project


A lone tarsier navigates through the rainforest, encountering moose, a brown bear, some sort of two-horned, talon-fingered giant robot thing, a pack of wolves, and bats before jumping to his death from a tree branch. Yep, there goes The Mars Volta biting old MC Hammer video concepts—again. Those guys are just shameless!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The tarsier's journey actually mimics that of Cerpin Taxt, the central figure in TMV's De-Loused in the Comatorium, who was himself based on the group's friend Julio Venegas, who committed suicide by jumping from a freeway overpass in El Paso, Texas.

65. OutKast "Hey Ya!"

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Year: 2003
Director: Bryan Barber

Andre 3000 plays eight members of a band driving the ladies wild in a London television performance based on The Beatles' 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Fun fact: All eight versions of him are significantly more entertaining to watch than his roles in Be Cool, Four Brothers, or Idlewild.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
"Hey Ya!" was number one on MTV's TRL for 19 days and won Video of the Year, Best Hip-Hop Video, Best Special Effects, and Best Art Direction at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards. Is that it?

64. Jay-Z f/ UGK "Big Pimpin'"

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Year: 2000
Director: Hype Williams

The epitome of the opulent Roc-A-Fella fuckery we love: a yacht, a mansion, a cigar, money being thrown into the air, video queens Melyssa Ford and Gloria Velez, and—most importantly—Dame Dash following his signature double-fist Cristal dance with his signature pouring of Cristal on hot chicks. And on the camera! Hey, did he just degrade us?

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
The video was shot in Trinidad during Carnival. Smart way to get a gang of scantily clad extras!

63. Weezer "Pork and Beans"

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Year: 2008
Director: Matthew Cullen

Despite its being denounced by Liz Miller of NewTeeVee for lacking creativity, we pretty much believe this video was genius. True, anyone can compile clips of that "Chocolate Rain" kid, Miss South Carolina, Afro Ninja and Charlie the Unicorn in a video, but Weezer had the audacity to make it happen for real. Don't believe us? Just watch the the YouTube stars sing along to their single.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
The YouTube celebrities featured in the video were all flown to Los Angeles to work with Weezer for the shooting of the video. Good thing they were all able to clear up some time in their insanely busy schedules!

62. Justin Timberlake f/ T.I. "My Love"

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Year: 2006
Director: Paul Hunter

The second video from JT's FutureSex/Lovesounds is the best usage of stark black and white studio backgrounds since Snoop's "Drop It Like It's Hot." A melange of floating instruments, quick dance movies, and slow-mo pick-up lines, this is the dopest shit Timberlake did all decade.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
"My Love" won Best Choreography in a Video at the 2007 VMAs, thanks to longtime Timberlake collaborator Marty Kudelka.

61. The Diplomats "Dipset Anthem"

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Year: 2003

Director: Jim Jones


They'd already achieved notoriety from their mixtapes, but the Diplomats didn't really bubble over until the release of their first video, which encapsulates the movement at its arrogant best. With the cutaway to "I Really Mean It," it also features what are arguably the crew's two best songs. There's no doubt who ran NYC that year.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The Diplomatic Immunity double LP also yielded videos for "Hey Ma" and "Bout It Bout It...Part III."

60. Vampire Weekend "Oxford Comma"

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Year: 2008

Director: Richard Ayoade


These prep rockers would seem to be natural targets for derision, and the Wes Anderson aesthetic in this video would seem to underscore that—but somehow they all get a pass. The one-take thing is pulled off with such nonchalant insouciance (yup, we had to look it up, too) that we can't hate, plus we think the keyboardist is getting passed a joint in the beginning, and you know bluebloods smoke the best weed.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Militant grammarians, stodgy copy editors, and your seventh-grade English teacher: three people who actually give a fuck about an Oxford comma.

59. Freeway f/ Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel "What We Do"

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Year: 2003
Director: Nzingha Stewart

The Roc's triangle offense recruited a handful of cast members from The Wire to give Freeway's gritty first video an extra authentic feel. Imitating the HBO show has since become a rap video cliché, but this lo-fi original was a genius move at the time.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
During the project scene where Beans says "Wipe tears from my mother," his actual mom makes a cameo.

58. Pharrell f/ Jay-Z "Frontin'"

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Year: 2003

Director: Paul Hunter


We usually shy away from the term "Zeitgeist," but it does apply to this video, which is the perfect ode to the summer of '03: (fake) skating, streetwear (Jay-Z rockin' Orchard Street!?!?), cool white girls, digital cameras. All that, plus the first time Lauren London hit our radar. You know we want you, girl.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Lanisha Cole, Lauren's friend in the video, went on to appear as a Deal or No Deal model, holding case 15.

57. UGK f/ OutKast "International Players Anthem"

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Year: 2007
Director: Bryan Barber

The video is centered around Andre 3000's fictional wedding, and follows Andre and friends (UGK, Three 6 Mafia) from the dressing room to the church, reception, and afterparty. Andre gets hitched to hottie actress Salino Soto as T-Pain steals the show as a preacher and cool-as-always Pimp C watches from a church pew. Southernnuptialistic!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
This was Pimp C's last appearance in a video before he died on December 4, 2007.

56. Mariah Carey "Touch My Body"

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Year: 2008
Director: Brett Ratner

30 Rock's Jack McBrayer plays a nerd who goes to Mariah's house to fix her computer and ends up getting spanked, and we mean that in the best way possible. Brett Ratner's off-center directing prowess shines through one of the most ridiculous role-playing fantasies ever committed to video.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
The video was filmed at Lenny Kravitz's house.

55. Flight of the Conchords "Boom"

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Year: 2007

Director: James Bobin


This mini-video comes from Episode Two of the HBO comedy Flight of the Conchords and finds Bret McKenzie fantasizing about his sign-carrying coworker over awesomely cheesy electronic music and animation. We both get freaky then the boom gets leaky. Truer words have never been sung over a 1983 Casio DG-20 electric guitar set to electric mandolin.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

McKenzie and his partner Jemaine Clement originally sang the song (then called "She's So Hot, Boom!") as part of their musical comedy act. They reworked it for the TV show.

54. Ludacris "Rollout (My Business)"

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Year: 2002
Director: Jeremy Rall

The beauty of this video is in the way Luda's lyrics come to life. (And also in the big-head-little-body thing. That never gets old.) Sure, he's irritated and telling people to stay the fuck up out his biz-nass, but his business—especially the "bucked-naked cook fixin' three-course meals"—is just too good to pass up.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
The first video Jeremy Rall shot was for Real World alumna Heather B. All Glocks down!

53. R. Kelly "Feelin' On Yo Booty"

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Year: 2001
Director: Bille Woodruff

Fuck "Stairway to Heaven"—Kells created the ultimate "last song of the night" with this oh-so-sincere ode to the booty. The slow-mo video drives the point home—after washing up with the twins, Kells cruises over to the club for one last dance with (who else?) Lil Kim. The last-call theme has extra significance in retrospect—this is R. Kelly's final video before the infamous sex tape leaked, and never again would he seem quite so effortlessly cool.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
The club crowd scene features cameos from Method Man, Redman, Erick Sermon, Fat Joe, Nelly, Superhead, Lennox Lewis, and a young DJ Khaled.

52. Bonecrusher "Never Scared"

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Year: 2003

Director: Bryan Barber


Shit ain't been the same since Snoop the greatest contestant in the history of Celebrity Fit Club came through and crushed the buildings. For our money, the most entertaining use of the Big Man/Tiny Landscape trope to ever come out of the south (with Khaled stepping on his son's Legos a close second).

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Shawty Shawty, the little dude yelling "WHAT MY NAME IS" at the beginning, pulls the same schtick at the beginning of another well-loved video that may or may not be somewhere on this countdown and rhymes with "Tip Drill."

51. N.E.R.D. "Everyone Nose"

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Year: 2008
Director: Diane Martel

Pharrell & Co.'s homage to (white) girls who enjoy that (white) includes a bunch of strung-out looking models enjoying an N.E.R.D performance in a club atmosphere, plus a surprise Lindsay Lohan cameo. We heard she even brought her own props!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
The remix video to the song featured Kanye, Lupe, Pharrell, and Clipse.

50. Eminem "The Real Slim Shady"

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Year: 2000
Director: Philip Atwell/Dr. Dre

Besides featuring a group of carbon-copied Slim Shady's—all with bleached blonde hair and white tees—Eminem manages to make fun of N*Sync, Tom Green, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Tommy Lee, Pamela Anderson, and more in this video. Cameos by Fred Durst, Kathy Griffin, and D-12 cohorts are there too, but it's Em's many roles (Buttman!) that steal the show.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
In a more explicit version of the video, the fat guy in underwear wears a ball gag. Anyone got it? Let us know.

49. Queens of the Stone Age "3's & 7's"

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Year: 2007
Director: Paul Minor

Seems like all of QOTSA's videos are set on dusty desert highways, and this is no exception. A trailer for a fictional Russ Meyer-inspired movie, "3's & 7's" features everything you could want from a rock n' roll video: busty go-go girls, pump-action shotguns, a Mustang, and an evil dude with a hook for a hand. Check, check, check, and checkmate.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
"3's & 7's" was filmed in QOTSA frontman Josh Homme's hometown of Joshua Tree, California.

48. Shyne f/ Barrington Levy "Bad Boys"

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Year: 2000

Director: Marc Klasfeld


Gloriously gutter is perhaps the best way to describe this one. Shyne and dancehall OG Levy post up on the streets of Jamaica like third world dons while rude bwoys mean mug and flash weapons and thick chicks shake their curried donkeys. Diddly whooooa that's good!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Though Shyne walks through Jamaican slums in the video, he's actually from Belize, where his father, Dean Barrow, is Prime Minister.

47. Cassie "Me & U (MySpace Version)"

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Year: 2006

Director: Little X


This low-budget (and hotter) version of Cassie's first video was never officially released, but it set the Internets ablaze, thanks in no small part to Cassie, on her knees in a bra and panties, unbuckling a dude's pants. Then Diddy appeared randomly at the end of the video and ruined the fantasy for everyone.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Cassie's management claims that this version was released only for European audiences. Riiiiiiight.

46. Damian Marley "Welcome to Jamrock"

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Year: 2005
Director: Ras Kassa

You know those Jamaican tourism commercials that play a drab rendition of "One Love" while showing a bunch of beautiful people smiling and swimming through crystal clear water? Enticing, right? If only all of Jamaica was as pleasant. Tuff Gong's youngest takes you to the gully side and artfully but honestly shows the other side of Jamaica with this video from his third album. Welcome to Jamaica.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
"Welcome to Jamrock" was produced by the Marley family's wunderkind producer, Stephen Marley. It's a family affair.

45. Madvillain "All Caps"

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Year: 2004

Director: James Reitano


There have been plenty of comic-inspired vids in the decade, but none more appropriate than this one for Madvillain, the collabo between MF Doom and Madlib. Doom wears a mask inspired by Doctor Doom, for eff's sake—what did you expect, Hype Williams?

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Madvillain did survive the minions of death—although they've yet to release a proper follow-up to their acclaimed debut, Madvillainy.

44. P. Diddy & the Bad Boy Family "Bad Boy For Life"

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Year: 2002
Director: Chris Robinson

Diddy and his entourage move into the white suburbs, and hilarity ensues. The cameos are unmatched—this man has some serious friends. Dave Navarro?

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Director Chris Robinson also made Alicia Keys' "Fallin'" and "You Don't Know My Name", "Roc Boys" by Jay Z, "One Mic" by Nas, and "Bonnie & Clyde '03" by Hov and B.

43. Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz f/ Mystikal & Krayzie Bone "I Don't Give a Fuck"

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Year: 2002

Director: Gil Green


Are you ready for a nice evening at Club 112 with Lil' Jon? This first-person Atlanta experience perfectly captures the energy that made "crunk" so exciting in the early part of the decade, complete with POV-crowd surfing and Mystikal beating up security guards in the bathroom.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The video's gimmick—a crazy first-person journey that is revealed to be a woman at the end—is a rip-off of The Prodigy's 1997 video "Smack My Bitch Up." Lil Jon's female rapper Chyna White plays the woman in the mirror.

42. Mike Jones f/ Slim Thug & Paul Wall "Still Tippin'"

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Year: 2004

Director: Dr. Teeth


The video that marked Houston's claim to the rap game, put director Dr. Teeth on the map, and featured the city's three biggest representatives giving the world a little H-Town culture lesson: rimmed-out old schools swaying with their trunks popped.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The uncut version of the video was identical—save for the girl giving top to Slim Thug, and Mike Jones and Paul Wall rapping half their verses in a strip club.

41. Bat for Lashes "What's a Girl to Do"

vimeo.com

Year: 2007

Director: Dougal Wilson


Who knew Donnie Darko's friends were so good at bike riding? Dougal Wilson gets a big ol' high five for making something so simple and dope. Look for Benni Benassi's "Satisfaction", the first video of Dougal Wilson's that made us say, "Holy awesome."

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Bat for Lashes is the stage name for Natasha Khan, who was a nursery school teacher when she wrote her first album, Fur and Gold. Now she's rich.

40. Ciara "Promise"

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Year: 2006
Director: Diane Martel

Ciara's second album was called The Evolution presumably to tell the world she was all growned up and willing to show a li'l bit of her goodies. If the album's title didn't do the trick, the video for its second single sure did. Whether straddling a chair in skin-tight pants or pop-lockin' in a sweat suit, we heard her loud and clear.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
On his mixtape Drought 3, Lil Wayne payed homage to Ciara and her video by rapping over the Polow Da Don-produced track: "The way you worked that mic in the video was so crazy, and that chair or stool move was cool, you make me wanna...ohh! I think I need a moment." That's exactly what we were thinking.

39. Three 6 Mafia f/ Young Buck, Eightball & MJG "Stay Fly"

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Year: 2005

Director: Bernard Gourley


The club banger of the year transforms into the club video of the year. Juicy J, DJ Paul, and Crunchy Black (sorry, that shit still makes us laugh) are joined by 8Ball & MJG, and G-Unit members-at-the-time Young Buck and Spider Loc, in a celebratory club setting. It's flashing lights for real, and one of the best posse cut vids we've ever seen.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

There are multiple remixes of "Stay Fly", including a 'Bay Area Remix' featuring  E-40 and a Southern Remix featuring Slim Thug and Trick Daddy. 

38. Justice "D.A.N.C.E."

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Year: 2007
Director: Jonas & Francois

Music Video of the Year at the MTV Europe Awards, nominations stateside. The use of SoMe's art makes it a home run, and had the world going, "Who ees this Jousticcce?" Who ees, indeed.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
P.Y.T. means "Pretty Young Thing". Maybe you knew that from MJ, but just in case, now you know what they're talking about.

37. U.N.K.L.E. "Heaven"

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Year: 2009

Director: Spike Jonze/Ty Evans


U.N.K.L.E. liked Ty Evans and Spike Jonze's intro for Lakai's Fully Flared so much that they used a re-edit for "Heaven." Any chance we get to watch the sequence is great. This is official status—not stolen, as some iCommenters think.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

U.N.K.L.E. has amazing videos. Check "Rabbit In Your Headlights" by Jonathan Glazer as well. Holy crap.

36. Robbie Williams "Rock DJ"

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Year: 2000

Director: Vaughan Arnell


You know how R&B videos are sometimes better on mute? This is kind of like that. Sure, Mr. Williams' dance moves are extra extra pause-worthy, but the skin-ripping technology was dope when it debuted.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The song samples Barry White's 1977 song "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me," if you were planning on doing some research.

35. Beyoncé "Check On It"

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Year: 2005
Director: Hype Williams

Underrated, and for our money the sexiest Beyonce video ever. We were a little disappointed, though, that consumer advocates didn't take it to task for not including a disclaimer that said WARNING: BEYONCE TWERKING IN A MINISKIRT MAY CAUSE DIZZINESS AS BLOOD RUSHES FROM YOUR HEAD TO SUPPLY THE REST OF YOUR BODY.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Yeah, those are one-off high-heeled BAPEs she's rocking. It's okay, it was '05.

34. Jim Jones f/ The Game & Cam'ron "Certified Gangstas"

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Year: 2004

Director: Jim Jones


East meets West as Jim Jones and The Game re-enact Menace II Society's infamous convenience store scene. As the Sizzurp hits the floor, Capo and Game set off the Blood-friendly video, with Jim spitting bars dressed up as Eazy-E. Cam'ron standing by Jim's side reminding us of the days the Dipset crew was air-tight. Soo-woo!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Koch Records President Alan Grumblatt boasted that this was Game's first big video look, even though he had signed to Interscope shortly before the video aired.

33. Petey Pablo "Freek-A-Leek"

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Year: 2003
Director: Erik White

The video that catapulted Esther Baxter to hip-hop immortality. Even with some dubious editing—why not just make the entire four-minute video an uninterrupted shot of Ms. B?—it stands up over time. it also gyrates, shimmies, and above all, bounces.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Shawty Shawty AND Lil' Duval? It's a diminuitive-Southern-comedian-who-show-up-in-dozens-of-rap-videos showdown!

32. The White Stripes "The Hardest Button to Button"

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Year: 2003

Director: Michel Gondry


In the third of four videos Gondry shot with the Stripes (the others, in order: "Fell in Love with a Girl," "Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground," and "The Denial Twist"), he used pixelation animation so it appears that Meg's drum kit and Jack's Fender guitar amp multiply and move to the beat as they play around Manhattan's Upper West Side and the 34th Street PATH station.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

To achieve the look, Gondry arranged as many as 80 identical bass drums and amps.

31. Mystikal f/ Pharrell "Shake Ya Ass"

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Year: 2000
Director: Little X

Mystikal didn't go wrong enlisting the Neptunes for his single, and he matches the panty-dropping sound with panty-dropping visuals—the Southern rap version of the Eyes Wide Shut party. Thank you, Little X, for pairing Melyssa Ford with one of the greatest titular suggestions ever.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Mystikal is to be released from prison in January 2010 after receiving a six-year bid battery. Not exactly what's hot in the streets, Michael Tyler.

30. Trick Daddy "I'm a Thug"

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Year: 2001

Director: Nick Quested


It's hard to picture a buncha kids and teenage girls in a video for a song about straight-up ignance. But hey, if it works, it works. Not to mention that the subtle social commentary during the shopping scene was a nice touch. Oh, and having chicken delivered to the country club. That'll show 'em, Trick!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Trick Daddy recently announced that he has lupus and that was refusing treatment for it because of the excessive testing he'd had to go through and the scars left by the medication. Now THAT'S a thug.

29. Erykah Badu "Honey"

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Year: 2007
Director: Erykah Badu/Mr. Roboto

Mrs. 3000M Common D.O.C. M-1 Electronica pops up on all kinds of classic album covers, from Minnie Ripperton to Eric B. and Rakim. Like the LP version of our classic Rawse Photoshopstraganza, but with "a neo-soul beat you can really groove to."


YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Mr. Roboto is actually an alias used by director Chris Robinson. Domi arigato, Wikipedia!


28. Redman "Run My Block"

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Year: 2008

Director: King Fetti


Redman New Jersey drives a drop-top Smart Car around the hood in this freestyle video shot for the Why I'm an American Gangsta Edition of DJ Scoob Doo's Streets Talk DVD series. Big red man + little red car = hilarious. For more fun with Red in his wee little whip, click here. Not all at once, though—here's barely room for Red in there.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The Smart Fortwo coupe is 8.8 feet long, 5.1 feet high, and 5.1 feet wide. Smart for two of deez nuts, maybe.

27. Juvenile "Get Ya Hustle On"

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Year: 2006
Director: Ben Mor

If all you do is visit the French Quarter, it's almost like Katrina never happened and New Orleanians weren't devastated by the federal and local government's criminal mishandling of the hurricane. In one of his most serious, critical songs ever, Juve calls out culprits and reminds us of the ruins that were once his hometown.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Hurricane Katrina caused at least 1,836 confirmed deaths (hundreds more went missing) and $81.2 billion worth of damage.

26. T.I. "What Up What's Haapnin'"

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Year: 2008
Director: Kai Crawford

A day after Shawty Lo publicly announced that he and T.I had spoken and reconciled their beef (Shawty Lo made claims that T.I wasn't really from Bankhead), T.I dropped the ultimate ether in video form. Setting up shop in a tailgate-friendly foldable chair in Lo's Bowen Homes stomping grounds and chilling with the locals, Tip's haymaker proved to be the knockout blow.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
T.I and Shawty Lo actually squashed their beef on March 7, 2009, when they performed together at Club Crucial in Bankhead, Atlanta—one of T.I's farewell concerts before he headed to prison.

25. Birdman & Lil Wayne "Leather So Soft"

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Year: 2006
Director: Aaron Courseault/D. Carter

This is the video Lil Wayne's rock star ambitions can be traced back to, featuring a perfectly excessive and (nonsensical) hodgepodge of images: Weezy pretending to play the guitar, ballet dancers, a sign language interpreter, and Birdman mentally calculating how many kisses it takes to get to the center of the Wayne's wallet.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
According to Birdman, there's a movie in the works based on the album Like Father, Like Son. Our thumbs-up is poised and waiting.

24. The Darkness "I Believe in a Thing Called Love"

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Year: 2003

Director: Alex Smith


The Darkness' over-the-top, retro falsetto hair rock is perfectly complemented by this space-tacular music video debut. Tight bell-bottom jumpsuits, a furry purple creature that dries lead singer Justin Hawkins off after his bath, and a climactic battle in which band members use their instruments to fight the phallic space squid attacking their spaceship. Our rocket blasts off every time we watch it.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Hawkins left the band in 2006 after going to rehab for alcohol and cocaine addiction.

23. DJ Mehdi "Signatune"

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Year: 2007

Director: Romain Gavras


The greatest, and most European, "merciless decibel battle" the world has ever seen. If it gets Frencher than this, don't tell us, because we'll fucking move there. We will. And don't question our commitment to merciless decibel battles ever again!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

156 decibels is the same loudness as a 12-gauge shotgun being fired next to your ear. Oh, and 140 is the pain threshhold. Deaf jam!

22. Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Y Control"

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Year: 2004
Director: Spike Jonze

Kids are adorable, right? Not when Jonze directs them. The little fuckers making menacing faces, carrying bats, hammers, axes, and a dead dog, writing "WE ARE ALL GOING TO HELL" on a wall, cursing in subtitles, sucking blood, and severing a hand and eviscerating each other just reminded us to go cop some more Magnums.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
YYY lead singer Karen O used to date Jonze and recently recorded the soundtrack for his movie Where the Wild Things Are.

21. Alicia Keys "You Don't Know My Name"

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Year: 2003
Director: Chris Robinson

We should have known A. Keys had a thing for rappers when she cast Mos Def as the male lead in the video for one of her best songs. Good story line, good cinematography, and Alicia looking her usual scrumptious self make this one of her best videos as well.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
"You Don't Know My Name," which sampled a song by The Main Ingredient, was itself sampled for the song "Comfortable" on Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III. For those keeping score, yes, that means Kanye sampled himself.

20. Mannie Fresh "Real Big"

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Year: 2004
Director: Life Garland

Why hood videos all gotta be so surrious? Why can't you just have a dude playing dominoes with huge dominoes or sipping on a supersized goblet of champagne? This is why rap's all fucked up now, because there's not enough Mannie Fresh. "Workin' with a monsta!"

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
At 1:20, you can see Big John, who's now Wayne's bodyguard and appeared in the video for "A Milli."

19. Eminem "The Way I Am"

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Year: 2000
Director: Paul Hunter

Woe is Eminem. The dark video for the second single off The Marshall Mathers LP depicts the rapper's fame-induced anxieties, which flash before his eyes as he hurtles off a skyscraper. Heavy stuff. If only he knew the career obstacles that lay ahead...

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Marilyn Manson, who appears in the video, is on Danny Lohner's remix of the song.

18. Kanye West f/ Syleena Johnson "All Falls Down"

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Year: 2005
Director: Chris Milk/Kanye West

Even before he became famous, Yeezy was all about Yeezy. Take this video, for example; before we knew anything about the Roc's newest signing, he made us walk through his shoes. It was all good, though—we got a first-person view of Ms. Stacey Dash, who did justice to walking like few can.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
The video was shot partially in LAX and Ontario International airports.

17. Prodigy "Mac 10 Handle"

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Year: 2007

Director: DanTheMan


On the surface, it's the G-Unit Prodigy, but as far as lyrics and visuals, that's "Shook Ones Pt. II" Prodigy all day. His lyrics are displayed through the music video, even hinting at the idea that his Queens Brother Nas is the devil. Bing! Zing!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

P's still upstate at Mid-State Correctional Facility in New York serving his three-and-a-half-year bid.

16. T-Pain f/ DJ Khaled "Karaoke"

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Year: 2008
Director: Bank Head

One of the greatest dis videos hip-hop has seen—and by "greatest," we mean funniest. Not only do we get to witness an intimate bathroom convo between Kanye and T-Pain (no fishsticks), but Akon takes it back to his African roots for a surprise hilarious walk-on finale. Always a breath of fresh air when big-time artists clown themselves.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Bank Head is the name for a collaboration between Jacob Escobedo and Adult Swim's Nick Weidenfeld—they also did all the packaging for T-Pain's Thr33 Ringz.

15. Ludacris "Get Back"

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Year: 2004

Director: Spike Jonze


Sure, people like to talk about the Lumière Brothers or Luis Buñuel as watershed moments in cinema, but that's only because they haven't seen Ludacris, outfitted with Popeye-like forearms and hands, yelling and gesturing menacingly at a woman's furry boots. Why aren't more rappers into absurdism?

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The end credits to Tropic Thunder did the original one better weirder by putting Tom Cruise in a fat suit.

14. Snoop Dogg f/ Pharrell "Beautiful"

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Year: 2003
Director: Chris Robinson

Bubble-butt Brazilian beauties bodysurfing with wedgies, sunbathing with wedgies, playing futebol with wedgies, and dancing to drum music with wedgies. Rio was already on our minds 'cause City of God had just killed it, but after Snoop's vid you can bet your ass we booked a flight.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Snoop's love interest in the video is Brazilian model and actress Luciana Malavasi.

13. Dr. Dre f/ Eminem "Forgot About Dre"

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Year: 2000
Director: Philip Atwell

This one snuck in by the skin of its teeth, but the January 2000 video brought exactly what you'd expect from Dre and Slim teaming up again. Old ladies AND Will Smith? Is there no one who can withstand the fuckery of the Dynamic Duo?

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
The song was thought to be a response to disses towards Dre by Death Row artists on Suge Knight Represents: Chronic 2000.

12. Lonely Island f/ Justin Timberlake "Dick in a Box"

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Year: 2006

Director: Akiva Schaffer


Who knew Justin Timberlake was funny? This video cemented the singer as Andy Samberg's go-to guy for SNL's Digital Shorts, and let him co-star in "Mother Lover" and pop up in "Jizz in My Pants" shortly thereafter. And come on, who didn't attempt this as a gag gift that holiday season? Hahahaha, "gag gift."

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

In 2007, the song won a Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.

11. Snoop Dogg "Sensual Seduction"

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Year: 2007
Director: Melina

Snoop's that rare (or maybe the only?) rapper who can do just about anything without getting hated on. That includes releasing a cheesy, retro, hilarious funk-pop song with an accompanying cheesy, retro, hilarious lo-fi video that pays homage to Roger Troutman, Prince, and the overall ridiculousness of the early '80s.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
MadTV made a parody of the video, entitled "Sensible Deduction."

10. Missy Elliott "Work It"

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Year: 2002
Director: Dave Meyers

Missy holds nothin' back in this video for the single that had everybody sounding like they had a speech impediment. It's your "fremme neppe venette"? Whatever. With her face covered in flies, a clip of her swallowing a Lambo, baby b-boys and Prince, her vid's as absurd as her lyrics. And as unforgettable. (We're speaking, of course, of "call before you come, I need to shave my cho-cha.")

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Missy Elliot is the only female rapper to have six certified platinum albums.

9. Snoop Dogg f/ Pharrell "Drop It Like It's Hot"

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Year: 2004
Director: Paul Hunter

One of the first "Dancing on an all white background" MTV flicks. No one does the "look at my stuff" as well as Pharrell. And no one does the "look at my hoes" like Snoop dee oh double gee.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
The vocal samples on this song are taken from Laid Back's "White Horse".

8. Beyoncé "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"

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Year: 2008
Director: Jake Nava

B's black-and-white masterpiece is proof that there's nothing better than a polished performance. The striking three-woman dance routine, which was famously parodied on SNL, will probably be remembered as Beyonce's best video. Or, as Kanye put it, ONE OF THE GREATEST VIDEOS OF ALLTIME! *shrug*

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
The video's dance routine was inspired by a 2007 viral video that juxtaposed footage from a 1969 Ed Sullivan Show performance with audio from DJ Unk's "Walk It Out."

7. OutKast "B.O.B."

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Year: 2000
Director: Bryan Barber

Pitchfork's song of the decade is kinda out there, and so is the video. Washed-out colored backdrops, frantic dance steps, and all sorts of men, women, and children make for a four-minute LSD trip—the good kind. We likey.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Barber is a longtime friend and collaborator of the duo, whom he directed in the 2006 feature film Idlewild.

6. Daft Punk "Discovery/Interstella 5555"

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Year: 2003
Director: Kazuhisa Takenouchi

Even before DP released Discovery in 2001, they had conceptualized this feature-length anime about an alien band that is kidnapped by Earth to be brainwashed, made to look human, and commercially pimped out. Strong feelings about the music industry much?

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
Kanye has not yet hired Kazuhisa Takenouchi to do his own video. We repeat: Yet.

5. Jay-Z "99 Problems"

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Year: 2004
Director: Mark Romanek

No champagne, no yachts, no highfalutin' concepts, just four-plus minutes of kinetic footage of Hov in his prime. The final shooting scene was controversial at the time, but gained airplay due to Jay's assertion that it was symbolic of his retirement. MTV will believe anything.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
"99 Problems" was originally intended to be Jay's last video.

4. Kanye West f/ Lupe Fiasco "Touch the Sky"

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Year: 2006
Director: Chris Milk

Kanye stars as Evel Kanyevel in a ’70s-styled clip based on the O.G. daredevil himself. Not to mention that Kanyevel gets down with Pamela Anderson right before he jumps the Snake River Canyon. Seriously. And Nia Long was standing RIGHT THERE!

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
After the video's release, Evel Knievel filed a lawsuit against Kanye West, citing similarities in their costume as trademark infringement.

3. The White Stripes "Fell in Love With a Girl"

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Year: 2002

Director: Michel Gondry


Half of this mindbender was done in post-production, where film footage of Jack and Meg White was converted into pixels to look like Lego blocks. The other half, however, was done using frame by frame animation with real Lego blocks. Good thing the song clocks in at under two minutes.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

The little boy building Lego blocks in the beginning of the video is Michel Gondry's son.

2. Justice "Stress"

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Year: 2008

Director: Romain Gavras


Banned from (French) TV, this incendiary clip embodies France's immigrant angst (and the right wing's ultimate nightmare) as little badasses from the banlieueswreak havoc all across Paris—rocking some dope matching bombers, we might add. The images are so arresting that you can't look away for even a second.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:

Justesse, "No Stress." LOLZ!

1. R. Kelly "Trapped in the Closet"

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Year: 2005-2007
Director: R. Kelly/Jim Swaffield

What is there to say? We mean, really. Not only was the song a glorious phantasmagorical soap opera of the trifest proportions, but the video in its 22-chapter entirety (released in three parts) managed to perfectly capture every surreal detail, from the bisexual husband to the stuttering pimp to the midget stripper who shit himself. And about 3 dozen other things that are even more fucked up.

YOU AUGHTA KNOW:
In the DVD commentary, R. Kelliy gives a truly unforgettable explanation of his own lyrics. Scorsese ain't got shit on the R!

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