Definitely one of the most underrated rappers in the world right now, NF has finally launched globally with the awesome track "Let You Down"; however, it seems unlikely that he'll keep getting chart hits even though he completely deserves them. His back catalogue, for example, is flat out amazing and I just can't get enough of him due to the way he floods a song with emotion. It's simply awesome and worthy of international success and awards across the board. NF is my new favourite rapper at the moment, and I could listen to his music all day long. The same goes for his music videos. Watch NF perform his songs within meaningful scenes that show people who are unhappy with their lives and the choices that they have made in his music video for "Wake Up".
NF, real name Nathan Feuerstein, is an American rapper who has charted a lot in the Christian hip-hop charts in his home country. He gained mainstream success with the song "Let You Down" launching on the world with emotion, flare, and style. He's definitely one to watch and I truly believe he is going to become one of the biggest rappers in the world as his music reaches out to more and more people. His music comes from the heart, and that is very clear in every single song that he sings; there's a raw emotional quality to his words that strikes something inside of us all. I'm very excited to see what the future brings him. "Wake Up" was written by Tommee Profitt and NF.
Directed by Jon Jon Augustavo, this music video is an in-depth take on the lyrics that grab the audience in from the very first minute. It's intriguing and interesting throughout.
There are two narratives going on that is slightly linked. We first watch a woman who lives in a mansion, and we soon realise that she's alone and that her husband and child left her. She never got to be a great parent and she's annoyed at herself for the way that things have gone and smashes up the house.
Later she exits out of a garage, where we watch a younger man who is her gardener, possibly. He thinks she's got everything going for her whilst he's got nothing going for himself; we later see him smashing up his own house as he isn't happy the way his life is going.
Throughout NF can be seen in certain scenes like a ghost or an apparition. He brings all his infectious emotional energy with every single word, once again proving he deserves to be known globally. The ending scene sees our two main characters as old-aged people who are still alone. It's a clever music video, one I could watch again and again.
I'm trying to add more male singers' music videos to this blog, purely because I feel that week-on-week I'm writing about female artists, and as much as I love writing about some of my favourite queens in the industry, I need a break from them every now and again. So, after randomly clicking through a few YouTube videos, I came across this one and I thought, why not? At 16 million YouTube views, I just had to review it. Watch Lauv's car break down in the middle of nowhere, he then gets out and sings his song with an amazing falsetto whilst dancing in front of the Paris, Texas sign in this music video for "Paris In The Rain".
Lauv, real name Ari Leff, went international with his single "I Like Me Better" which was a global hit, charting in many countries around the world, although they were moderate chart numbers. His other singles haven't quite reached up to the success of that previous track, although I certainly can't deny his amazing singing voice and off-the-radar vocals. This track, in my opinion, should've been a worldwide smash, it's catchy, it's meaningful, and Lauv definitely brings it. What more can we want? Regardless, this track will no doubt become a treasured track by many, including myself. I am so glad I've stumbled across this song, and I definitely can't get it out of my head. "Paris In The Rain" was written by Ari Leff, Michael Matosic, and Michael Ross Pollack.
Directed by Chase Smith, this music video is a pure performance visual which easily showcases Lauv as an artist in every way. If we were to go and see him live, we know exactly the sort of energy he would unleash to the crowd, just from this music video alone.
There's not a lot going on, the car breaks down so he dances in the street. A car does drive by and he tries to hitchike but he's just ignored. Then an umbrella pops out of nowhere as he continues to move. At one point, we see that he has stopped in front of the 'Welcome to Paris, Texas' sign.
Overall, the song is beyond amazing and Lauv really shows off his voice in every single way. Unfortunately, the music video barely relates to the song and doesn't keep the audience interested all the way through. I would've liked to have seen a love interest, at least. Regardless, Lauv is certainly a singer who deserves to stay popular, and I can't wait to see what the future brings him.
I really need to start to watch popular music videos, because I haven't seen this yet. This is literally the first time I have seen this music video, which is quite a surprise considering how popular the song is. I'm not sure what to make of this at all, I'm not really a fan of either artist and so that usually puts a slight judgement on to my review, same goes for the song itself which I'm not so keen on. This backdated review is a Chart Mondays, where Ed Sheeran with "Perfect" remains on the top of the UK chart, hence why I'm reviewing this song since it's in the Top 10 on this backdated date. Watch Julia Michaels sing this song in various places whilst an editing technique allows it to run smoothly, with Clean Bandit appearing throughout, in this music video for "I Miss You".
Clean Bandit are a three-piece instrumental group consisting of Grace Chatto, Jack Patterson, and Luke Patterson. They are the biggest British instrumental band in the country and they collaborate with other artists so that there are vocals on the songs. They've had a number of hits and every single release pushes their stamp further into the music industry. They are seriously unstoppable completely. Their second studio album is planned to be released in the early months of this year, so surely that means very very soon. This is a collaboration with well-known songwriter-turned-popular-singer Julia Michaels. Her song "Issues" became a smash hit around the whole world; since then, she hasn't lived up to that track until this one came along. She's definitely one to watch considering her amazing back-catalogue of songwriting hits. This track was written by Julia Michaels, Jack Patterson, and Grace Chatto.
Directed by Jack Patterson & Grace Chatto, this music video is flat-out iconic, purely because of the amazing editing techniques used. It always surprises me that their visuals are self-directed because they manage to nail it every single time.
We watch Julia Michaels walk along train tracks before switching to a desert scene that continues her path with layer upon layer between the two. It looks like they had complete fun filming this. My problem is that they're all dressed in red, making Julia Michaels look like she's a part of Clean Bandit as if she's the lead singer or lead vocalist or frontwoman of the group - this is not what we usually expect from a featured singer.
Overall, there's not a lot to comment on, I'm not so keen on Grace Chatto's outfit, it looks like it's been teared up. Otherwise, both artists nail the performance, giving it all they've got and allowing the viewers to be captured from the very first few seconds, but it doesn't really relate to the song and it doesn't allow any depth, only layers. I do admit, Julia Michaels looks amazing when she's on top of the piano.
This is what happens when a classic song gets revamped like RAYE & Mr Eazi has done with "Decline", as I end up reviewing the original music video too - and why not? Not going to lie, I love what RAYE has done with the song and the idea of declining the call; I now sing those lyrics when I hear this, rather than these actual lyrics. It's full of 00's R&B which was all the rage way back then; it seems to be coming back in, in a whole new spin and we sure aren't complaining. Watch Ja Rule and Ashanti prove that she's always there on time but not always there when he calls in this just-on-time music video for their hit single "Always On Time".
Ja Rule, real name Jeffrey Atkins, is an American rapper who hit it big in the early 00's with rapping on R&B tracks, such as this one. He was on top of his game, however he hasn't released a single in some time, and he's been pushing back his eighth studio album. It's great to see that he wants to make it perfect, especially since he has been away from music for so long; yet, everyone is wondering whether he can make a comeback - we'll have to wait and see. As for the featured star on this track, Ashanti, full name Ashanti Douglas, has been a prominent force in music for some time before jumping into the film industry and making her name known there. She's now focusing on music and is also planning on releasing a brand new album soon, her sixth studio LP. Again, it's another question as to whether she'll be able to make a comeback, her latest album just didn't hit the mark. This song was her first official single and one that was an international hit around the world. It was intended to feature Brandy instead of Ashanti. "Always On Time" was written by Marcus Vest, Jeffrey Atkins, and Irving Lorenzo.
Directed by Craig Fanning, the music video is a performance piece set within a narrative and shows off some incredible scenes that certainly would've put this music video on top during its release. I have to admit, I'm surprised I haven't seen this until today.
Both artists bring R&B glory to the performance piece, that's for sure. They easily take in the lyrics of the song and project it out to the audience whilst adding a bit of fun to it all, which only makes this music video even more engaging.
As for the narrative scenes, there is an awful lot going on. We watch Ja Rule being served breakfast by two women, who are on the clingy side. He calls some woman and she picks him up in a speedboat. Then we pan to what looks like a fireball in the sky, but it must be the sun, and we swap scenes.
This time Ja Rule is rapping in a Chevrolet Continental before he breaks down and a new woman comes to rescue him. Until finally he's performing at a concert and the women surround him wanting him, when all of a sudden a ladder appears and a hot air balloon is above him, with a woman inside ready to rescue him.
Overall, the music video is a great concept that really works. Ashanti is iconic to this song, it's just a shame she doesn't actually appear in the narration scenes, you would think she'd be the one rescuing Ja Rule, every single time. Otherwise, it's a great music video, one I can watch again and again, which works with the song.
I kept hearing this song, wishing I knew what it was so that I could review its music video for my blog. After weeks and weeks, I've finally remembered some of the lyrics so that I could google it, and here it is, finally. I'm surprised that it's a RAYE song; YAS! It's about time she gets the recognition she deserves, but my big question is whether she'll perform well in this music video, especially considering the ones I have seen of her. I am still rooting for her though, and I really cannot wait to click play. Now that I have, I certainly am disappointed. I was really hoping this would be better. Watch RAYE and Mr Eazi perform their song as she shows off various fashion styles and her true visual potential but not quite grasping it whilst Mr Eazi outshines her slightly in this music video for "Decline".
RAYE, real name Rachel Keen, is a singer-songwriter who has been focusing on music for a handful of years. With a killer voice like hers, it's no surprise that she's got some great hits behind her and has featured on some of the best tracks recently. She is definitely one to watch, especially since her vocals are off the chart; she just needs to do better in music videos, because I've seen her perform on TV and that's the sort of energy I want to see from her. The song is a collaboration with Mr Eazi, real name Oluwatosin Ajibade. He comes from Nigeria and has released two mixtapes thus far. He relocated to Kumasi, Ghana to continue his education. He is signed to Wizkid's record label Starboy Entertainment, and I'm sure it won't be long until we hear more from him. This song samples "Always On Time" by Ja Rule featuring Ashanti. "Decline" was written by Marcus Vest, Jeffrey Atkins, Irving Lorenzo, Rachel Keen, Fraser Thorneycroft-Smith, Janee Bennett, and Oluwatosin Oluwule Ajibade.
Directed by Sing J. Lee, this music video is a pure performance piece, something we were hoping not to get from RAYE or at least something that would show off who she is. There' nothing going for this music video, from the old square style to RAYE not giving any energy whatsoever.
At times she does give some potential to the clips; we see her dancing and grooving to the beat, but there's not enough and she never really lets loose. It's because of this that Mr Eazi outshines her during his parts as he brings movement that links to the lyrics he is singing; whereas RAYE has this attitude that comes across as slightly arrogant mixed with an air of not wanting to be there filming a music video. Maybe she isn't that passionate about the songs she's singing?
Overall, this music video deserved to be a lot better since the song is undeniably catchy and certainly takes us back to Ja Rule's "Always On Time" which features Ashanti. I just wish RAYE would bring it like we know that she can. I caught her on Top Of The Pops Christmas Special last year and she was buzzing with energy; that's the woman we want to see in her music videos.
