Best Music Videos of the Month

Directors: Jack Begert and the Little Homies

Schoolboy Q returned with a vengeance this month. "Groovy Tony" represents a new level for the rapper—not only is the song an incredible slice of what's to come for Q, the video lives up to its soundtrack.

The camera vacillates between two speeds. First, there's the smooth, extended slow-motion gunfire and steady tracking shots of gangster deeds. The best moment comes when Q stumbles away from a car crash to find his sleeve on fire. He uses it to light a blunt and moves on. The shots are really beautiful, even when a faceless Q is firing a machine gun right at you.

Then there's the hectic jerkiness of the verses, shot as if Q is grabbing the camera by the lens to further accentuate his verses. It's a bloody, visceral thrill ride for an equally adrenal song. Schoolboy Q has been quiet of late, but this is a solid reminder of just how good he can be.

Director: H&M

M.I.A. doesn't have a great history with corporate partnerships. Remember when she broke the monocles of Super Bowl viewers everywhere with a middle finger? Or when Oprah called her a terrorist?

But the Sri Lankan singer found common ground with global retailer H&M. "Rewear It" is designed to promote environmentally conscious fashion habits, and here's what M.I.A. had to say about those questioning the alliance:

“If all [H&M] do is go and inspire another high-street brand to get in on caring and being conscious, or if H&M gets criticized for any of their factory processes," the artist told Vogue, "These are all good things."

"We should discuss them in public and we should have this back and forth. At least they’re even stepping into the [environmentally conscious] arena. Any of those things is progressive, and I think you have to give it a chance.”

Director: Tony Reames

The untimely passing of Phife Dawg is, sadly, one of 2016's many tragedies. The founding member of A Tribe Called Quest was just 45 when he died, and left a wealth of unreleased material behind.

"Nutshell," produced by J Dilla, is one of the crown jewels. The video is pure, uncut Phife—literally. After a few rap legends speak on what Phife means to them in a nutshell (get it?), our dearly departed takes center stage in front of graffiti walls and cityscapes, mic in hand—as he will always be remembered.

Director: Bo Mirosseni

Kaytranada is a special talent. His gorgeous, wobbly, challenging, electric beats have been all over cutting-edge music lately, and we're about to get a whole album's worth of solo material from the Canadian producer—99.9% is out on May 6.

One of the singles is "Glowed Up," a collaboration with the equally gifted Anderson .Paak. Andy makes an impassioned appearance for his verse via camcorder, but the main event is Kaytranada's house party, which has cats and slow motion zooms of Kaytra holding those cats. The video, like its soundtrack, oozes a giggly, supernatural euphoria, and we're down.

Director: Austin Vesely

Chance The Rapper's joyous ode to his city got an equally vibrant visual treatment this month—Chance teamed up with Saba and longtime director Austin Vesely to take flight on “Angels”—the rapper rocks a Ghostbusters-style jumpsuit as he zoom through the city, touching down to bless a L train dance party from on top of the car.

Hebru Brand Studios provided the onscreen animation that takes this video to the next level—when you've been working together as long as this crew, the hits just keep coming.

Director: Ninian Doff

Run the Jewels went naughty by nature with the music video for "Love Again." The outrageously sexual track from RTJ 2 plays over the very natural phenomenon of insects pollenating plant life—but in the hands of Jaime and Mike (and director Ninian Doff), it becomes nature porn.

In the end, however, the pollinating flock of bees and butterflies fall to the Venus flytrap—who pops in a blunt once the deed is done.

Director: Harmony Korine

Didn't Rihanna tell you she was a savage? The pop star is building up quite the catalog of violent, seductive videos, and although this doesn't quite reach the gory heights of the vengeful "BBHM" video, it's memorable nonetheless. Harmony Korine carries over the crime-in-the-tropics aesthetic from Spring Breakers, but this time it's Rihanna who is the center of attention. Guys—if you've learned one thing by now, it's that you don't mess with Rihanna.

Director: Hirad Sab

Sevdaliza is on another level when it comes to her videos. With director Hirad Sab at her side, the Dutch-Iranian artist is delving deep into uncharted CGI territories, creating digital sculptures that are as unsettling as they are beautiful.

"Marilyn Monroe" is a stunning addition to her video library. The camera lens is fixated on chrome limb sculptures, and smooth, glassy depictions of Sevdaliza. This is really impressive work, and just because we've come to expect as much from the singer doesn't mean it should go unmentioned.

Director: Darnell Williams

Though he was raised in Detroit, rapper Darnell Williams has found inspiration in his new home of Los Angeles—specifically, South Central L.A.

The video itself is only two minutes long, but it packs a punch. Williams is a videographer when he's not rapping, and it shows—every frame of "South Central" is a carefully choreographed moment that bursts with color and movement. It's an impressive entrance by the young artist, punctuated by the fact that he's currently staying on friends' couches while getting this whole music thing sorted out. He's well on his way to doing so.

Read our Daily Discovery with Darnell Williams here.