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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
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!
Snapshot: Lyricks x Dumbfoundead x Esna Yoon x Manifest x Zo x Lyraflip x JL
L to R: Lyricks, Dumbfoundead, Esna Yoon, Manifest, Zo, Lyraflip, JL
I’m honestly not sure when or where this picture was taken, or even how we found it. But my best guess is that this is on set of the music video for “Lava” by JL, L. Scatterbrain, Lyraflip, Lyricks, Manifest, Dumbfoundead and DJ Zo – meaning the photo has to be at least a year and a half to two years old. How’s that for a Snapshot in time? Esna makes an appearance though L.S. is curiously missing… perhaps he’s taking the picture?
Odd to think how much has happened since this photo was taken. Mani & JL have been to Korea and back again (welcome home fellas!), Lyricks has remained a staple in the DMV/East Coast Hip-Hop scene, Dumb & Zo have been conquering the world… and I dunno where Flip & Scatter are right now. They’ve been kind of quiet, fell off our radar a bit. Can’t wait to see what will become of everyone in another two years!
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.
Passport: Manifest x JL & One Way Perform “December 18″ & “New Drag” Remix on Arirang Radio
Mani & JL have been grinding hard in the motherland for a while now, and that includes linking up with like-minded artists out there including R&B/Hip-Hop group One Way. In this clip from Arirang radio a couple months ago, the artists all give a live performance of a couple tracks, namely “December 18″ and “New Drag”. It’s a dope listen, so check it out!
Lyricks & Sickboi Unveil a “Beauty Salon”
Here’s another batch of new videos from Lyricks/TBC/SuperNoVa and local affiliates. In the first clip Lyricks is joined by Sickboi on a chill track called “Beauty Salon” over a dope Raekwon beat. In our second vid, Lyricks spits a few bars at an older performance at Princeton University, with Mani backing him up. Lastly, we’ve thrown in a video showcasing a joint effort by EOM on the production and the DMV’s K-Prime and Lyricks on song that’s yet to see an official release. So keep your ears to the ground cause I’m sure it’ll be out in the not too distant future.
Watch the “Clash of the Titans” MV by JL x Manifest
JL has got a new EP in the works called Murdertown and the first single has just been released with a MV to match. “Clash of the Titans” features J’s frequent partner in rhyme and fellow VA to Korea transplant, Manifest. True to their style, the song is an exhibition of lyrical prowess more than anything else. If ya feeling the track, it’s already available for purchase via JL’s bandcamp, check the widget below.
Sneak Peek at Verseatile’s Music Video for “Who We Are”
Verseatile is getting ready to unveil his next visual project for the single “Who We Are” off of his Worlds Apart EP from earlier this year. The original track features Manifest and JoAnne, the latter who will be definitely making an appearance based on the teaser above. No word if Mani is gonna feature too (considering he’s in the motherland ATM, but it wouldn’t be the first time Verse has released an MV without one of his co-stars. But speaking of JoAnne, some of you KPOP fans from the early 2000′s may find her vaguely familiar. It’s because nearly a decade ago she had a moderately successful albeit short career overseas as a budding young pop star. Check after the break for a reminder, but she’s sure grown up!
Manifest & JL Featured on Seoul Cypher Volume 3
Came across this dope clip of Manifest & JL when they appeared on a Hip-Hop web-series based out of South Korea called Seoul Cypher. Mani steps up first, followed by JL and the host Pinnacle The Hustler closing it out with the third and final (and surprisingly bilingual) verse. Nothing fancy here, just some raw lyricism like they used to do in the good ol’ days haha. Now’s probably a good time to remind you to check out their joint mixtape that dropped earlier this year.
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