Wow. We didn’t even skip a week but I guess everyone wanted to fit in a music video before Octobor ended. Why? I’m not entirely sure but I’m not complaining. Let’s just say that this week you got choices. Rap? Got it. Pop? Of course. Ballad? Accounted for. R&B? Du Jour. It’s all here, so queue it up and enjoy!
Rocky Rivera – “GRLGNG”
A chill soul-sampled beat, double R and her entourage, a tropical locale – there really isn’t much to complain about. It’s not quite as infectious as some of her past work (like “GRLZ“), but it’s still a winning combination nonetheless.
Andy Suzuki & The Method – “Lucy (Devil Song)”
I’m liking the bluegrass-esque infused indie-rock sound of the track. As for the video, when’s the last time you saw an artist get inked for their MV? Other than the tattoo scenes, it’s kind of a vague and generic mixture of social and pensive shots that may or may not hold your attention.
Smash Hitta – “Origami”
SH was the silent hero behind the music of a lot of our favorite songs by Asian American artists from the 00’s and early 10’s, although he’s been a little more quiet the past couple years. His sound hasn’t quite kept up with the times, but it’s still some good ol’ fashioned, clean Pop. The video was mildly interesting but watching people fold paper can only be so entertaining.
Andrew Huang – “Run Away With Me”
The song has a slight Jason Mraz feel, which is a good thing. I admittedly had low expectations when I realized it’s a Scion sponsored video, but Andrew’s editing was more than impressive. Editing overlapping doppelgangers is a pain but he handled it pretty cleanly. Well done, Mr. Huang.
Andrew Huang – “We Are One”
Whatever you think of when you learn the title of a song is “We Are One” is probably an accurate description of this tune and video. Like a lot of his other Youtube work, Andrew is helping to keep the lights on via sponsorship, but it wasn’t overtly obvious this time around.
Jargon – “Luck Ran Out”
This was actually an entry for contest run by Kato, and Jar ended up being one of the winners. I can see why… as he did his thing and rep’d the beat well. The visual is a standard freeverse, street video cypher type of affair, for better or worse.
Stevie Hoang – “Girl Like You”
I can’t say I’m really a fan of the direction Stevie has been going with his song and videos. The tune itself is a decent pop R&B tune… if it were 2005. And the video is taken straight outta 2000 with the Johnny Ngo art – non-widescreen aspect ratio and all. Meh.
eSNa x Flowsik – “Me, Today”
There’s something immensely satisfying to see two former staples of the Asian-American music scene doing it big in another country. This particular tune is a bit heavy handed with the sentiment, but still very enjoyable. It’s a shame Flow wasn’t included in the video – as it could have used a switch up in the middle.
Nigahiga – “Ignored”
It’s a Nigahiga music video for a song produced by David Choi about the mobile game Clash of Clans. Although I never imagined such a scenario, it’s all still pretty much exactly how I expected it to be. Silly, irreverent fun – just as it should be.
Us the Duo – “Slow Down Time”
In an overly saturated Youtube filled world, it’s become increasingly difficult to put together a lyric video that stands out. Well, Us the Duo, has done a pretty darn good job with this one. The tracking and masking of effects could have used a little more polish to have been perfect but that’s just a minor nitpick. The fact it’s a good song doesn’t hurt either.
Olivia Thai – “Nothing Without You”
This is a bit of a low effort release, so there’s not much that’s impressive about the video. The lighing in particular is so uneven. But on a positive note, Olivia sounds great on this unplugged performance. I hope to hear a studio version soon.
Steve Aoki x Headhunters – “The Power of Now”
This one’s got all the requisite EDM video tropes – beautiful beaches, intense parties, close up equipment shots – so if you’re a fan of the genre you’re probably cool with the video. I enjoyed the song from a casual EDM fan perspective, though I doubt I’d remember i
Jason Chu – “I am NOT a Costume”
Chu once again returns to the soapbox via spoken word and touches on a valid, if not slightly preachy, topic. Cultural appropriation is an important topic to discuss, although I do believe our reactions can sometimes be a bit hyper-reactive and sensitive. Regardless, it’s encouraging to know that there are folks willing to speak up on the subject.
a-Tunes 
Should of waited a bit longer MV of Flowsik coming out.
It’s all good, we’ll include it next week. Thanks for the tip!