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Two Cents: GT’s Top 10 MVs from 2011 (and 10 Honorable Mentions)
2011 was a banner year in the world of Asian-American music. We saw more releases than ever, more artists achieving more mainstream success, and more fans across more ethnic backgrounds recognizing the great music by our artists. But along with more of the good comes more of the bad – with there also being an influx in mediocre music, an increase in hate and bigotry (check Youtube comments) and even more pressure to try and stand out. That’s why I wanted to look back on the past year and choose what I consider to be my top 10 favorite music videos from 2011. Now this doesn’t mean that these are the MVs with the top production values (although this is often the case), but rather it’s a reflection of what I found to be the most well executed, balanced, and entertaining visuals. On the very last page we also have a list of 10 honorable mentions that I thought deserved to be recognized as well.
So without futher ado let’s jump straight into number 10…
10. IAMMEDIC – “Spaceship” (article)
Electronica-Pop group IAMMEDIC took the concept of their song “Spaceship” to the max by injecting a silly Star Trek inspired motif and alien abduction. The video is fun, looks great, and represents the high energy of the audio perfectly. Deep? Not so much, but fun and well executed? Very much so.
Directors/Cinematographers/ Dan Fisher and Ed Park
Produced by Joe Park and IAMMEDIC
Edited by Steve Arcenio
Visual Effects – Ed Park and Derrick Lee
3D Model by Daniel Harris
“Spaceship” Written and Produced by IAMMEDIC
Mixed by Enik Lin
Decipher Jumps on the “Hit the Club” Remix by The Yellow Boyz
It’s been about a week since YBZ dropped their new single “Hit the Club” but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to hear a new remix. This new version features Philly’s Decipher joining the crew by opening the song with the first verse. Almost makes me wonder what could have been had they made this a posse cut and gotten a lot of other artists to jump in on the action too.
Showdown: On Fire Ent x Rocky Sandoval vs Hopie Spitshard vs Lyricks x Decipher x The Yellow Boyz x JL x Excel Cruz x Koreone x Manifest x Smokes
Welcome to another episode of Showdown, where we have a little friendly comparison of artists that cover/remix the same songs and then vote for the one we think pulled it off better.
With Drake being undoubtedly one of the hottest acts in the business right now, it’s no wonder why his music has been covered and remixed by artists thousands of times over. For this installment of our Showdown series we’ve decided to highlight a few recent remixes of Drake’s song “The Motto” featuring Lil Wayne. This one is a three way battle with On Fire & Rocky in one corner, Hopie repping the fairer sex on her own in another, and a huge mega roster of artists in the last corner – comprised of Lyricks, De, The Yellow Boyz, Excel Cruz, Koreone, Manifest & Smokes. So by all means, go ahead and take a listen to the three renditions and vote for your favorite below!
Lyricks, Decipher, Al P, JL, Excel Cruz, Koreone, PassDa, Joel, Manifest, Smokes
So who do you think did the track the must justice? The one two punch of On Fire & Rocky? Hopie rocking the mic via webcam? Or the gigantic 10-man lineup from this years’ Asian Hip-Hop Summit tour? Cast your vote now! Why? … Bragging rights? We really don’t have an answer except to say it’s fun!
Rekstizzy x Decipher x Dumbfoundead Release the MV for “No Apologies”
Rekstizzy has debuted his music video for his song “No Apologies” featuring heavy hitters Decipher & Dumbfoundead. This is more of your classic style of Hip-Hop, no electronica, auto-tune or sung hooks, just three MCs trading verses. Impressively, the song was debuted courtesy of Complex (as we shared that it would). So did it live up to the hype? I’ll let you be the judge but in my opinion the track got stronger as it progressed – and I’ll leave it at that. You can get it as a free single via the Bandcamp widget below.
Decipher & Dumbfoundead to Feature on Rekstizzy’s “No Apologies”; MV Due Nov 25th
It looks like NY based rapper Rekstizzy managed to lock down some heavy hitting features for his song “No Apologies”. Decipher and Dumbfoundead both contribute to the track and appear in the music video – set to debut in a little under a week on November 25th (Black Friday) via Complex.com no less. We’ll let you know when it’s up for viewing, so stay tuned!
Decipher Releases the MV for “Angry Asian Man” ft Manifest & DJ Zo
Here it is folks. The highly anticipated music video for “Angry Asian Man” off Decipher‘s album The Effect. The music video has the highest production values of any of his releases thus far. The song features Mani & Zo in arguably one of the best collabs of the year. You can DL the song for free from his bandcamp as well. Glad this track was selected to be pushed as an official single. Lyrics are available after the break!
JL Brings Us ‘Destination: Murdertown’
With the calendar officially reading October 31st we find ourselves upon the release date for JL‘s latest mixtape project, Destination:Murdertown. There are 10 tracks both old and new on this one featuring a roster of strictly immediate and extended family guest artists courtesy of drops by Lyricks, Mani and De. The tape is available as a free DL via the Bandcamp widget below but feel free to kick in a few bucks if you want to show some financial support.
The Asian HipHop Summit Returns for 2011
The Asian HipHop Summit makes a welcome return this fall with a heavily packed, month-long schedule that covers most of the Eastern United States. Participants include the Yellow Boyz, Lyricks, Johnnyphlo, Decipher, Yongie Phresh, and a slew of other artists. You’ll need to check the specific event details for information on which artists will be where and when. Either way, East Coast, prepare yourself for an onslaught of Hip-Hop! It’s been too long.
Look after the break or check out the Facebook page for all the tour information!
New Heights Gives You ‘Something to Believe In’
The day has finally come for the official release of New Heights‘ new album – Something to Believe In. The Seattle group has dropped a 10 track LP with a fair number of features including Brian Joo on “Nightmare”, Jennifer Chung, Clara C on “Take Me On”, and some raps courtesy of Gowe x Decipher. I’m listening to it as we speak and can already vouch that it’s a pretty dope release thus far. You have some purchasing options, so choose your own adventure below.
Purchase: iTunes, AmazonMP3, Online Store
Tracks:
- Something to Believe In
- Nightmare (feat. Brian Joo)
- Gonna Love You (feat. Jennifer Chung)
- Take Me On (feat. Clara C)
- Chasing Down the Sun
- Someday
- Closer (feat. Natalie Taylor)
- Tell Me It’s Real
- Time
- My City (feat. Gowe + Decipher)
Mike B is ‘Better Late Than Never’ [Mixtape Release]
Rapper Mike B, who recently dropped the MV for the song “Roll Credits“, has gone ahead and released the full mixtape called Better Late Than Never. You get a dozen tracks on here including a few notable features such as Decipher. There are various artists out there vouching for the dude so it may just be worth your time to check this release out. BLTN is available to download gratis via the bandcamp widget below. You can also peep the single “Light it Up” after the break.
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