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#TBT to some of your favorite rappers’ first music videos (Part 1)
Tomorrow for a special Throwback Thursday we’ve decided to look through a couple rappers’ careers and find their first music videos.
It’s always fun to see artists in their humble beginnings before the glo and money makes them look like an untouchable being.
Some of these artists hit big with their first music video and others are just here to appreciate the growth and feel better about ourselves.
That being said, here’s 8 rappers’ first music videos to celebrate Throwback Thursday:
A$AP Rocky ft. A$AP Ferg – “Get High”
Iight… this video is nothing but pure gold. In this video we have a young Rocky rocking the mean perm and Ferg looking like my favorite dope dealer. This video is a great example of my personal motto “You’re never ugly, just broke”.
Aside from the two A$AP members looking broke and silly this track actually still bumps. You can hear Rocky’s classic confident flow and melodies all over the track as well as Ferg’s animated delivery.
These guys are well past these Harlem days but that perm and the shot of Ferg in the bathtub is an iconic start for the New York stars.
Tyler, the Creator – “French”
If you’re anywhere between 18 – 22 years old Tyler, the Creator was everything to you at one point. “French” is defiance and teenage insanity compressed in a 1 minute and 40 second video.
With a lot of Odd Future members starring in the video and random cuts to different weird shit, this video is the epitome of what every teenager was into back in 2011.
Tyler is into way more intricate shit now and is on a whole new level when it comes to his videos but “French” still stands as a great representation of Tyler’s creative eye.
Earl Sweatshirt – “EARL”
I remember seeing this video and thinking “THIS N**** WILDIN!!”
As a youth I really thought these guys were out here making death juice and spitting out teeth like that shit was normal.
Earl comes through with disturbing ass visuals for his self-titled track featuring people pulling their nails off, pulling hair off their head, and bleeding nipples.
Once you got past all the blood in the video you realized Earl was spitting insane bars and he’s only gotten more intricate and oddball since.
Travi$ Scott – “LIGHTS (LOVE SICK)”
Travis Scott’s first video is actually really dope and looks really professional, so much so that I have some doubts calling this his FIRST music video but hey it’s from 2012 so fuck it.
In “LIGHTS” it’s apparent that Travis has always been a fan of the dark apocalypse style and he does it pretty damn well here.
The actual song is reminiscent of his heavy Kanye and Cudi influenced style but he backs that up with impressive visuals and intense cuts.
Chief Keef – “Bang”
Almighty Sosa definitely doesn’t get enough credit for fathering a whole genre of hip-hop and even less credit for these type of videos.
Chief Keef was about 15 when this video was released and this style is still used today in terms visuals and sound.
This era of Chief Keef is classic and was followed shortly by the hit “I Don’t Like,” which just goes to show how ahead of the game Young Sosa was when this came out.
Chance the Rapper – “Nostalgia”
Chance’s first visuals are true to the “Nostalgia” title. Released in 2011, the video features Chance rapping over a tranquil beat about his past.
Chance was only 16 around the time this video dropped and still manages to insert so much genuine emotion into the video and song.
Those who think the whole nice guy image Chance portrays is a facade can just watch this video and see, he’s always been a sweet, loving dude who’s incredibly passionate about his city and family.
Flatbush Zombies – “Thug Waffle”
I personally blame this video for opening me up to smoking more weed and eating mad waffles.
When I first discovered this video and the Zombies as a whole I was determined to be as cool as Juice.
This came out during the peak of the beast coast movement in New York and just fit the city’s aesthetic incredibly well with everyone becoming streetwear kids and wilding out in SoHo.
Kanye West – “Through the Wire”
Y’all knew I couldn’t leave this classic out.
Kanye’s first music video is a gallery of his near fatal car accident that almost left him speechless and his ability to overcome the tragedy and make history.
Everyone loves this song, this is THE song people think about when they say they miss the old Kanye.
Everything about this video is beautiful from seeing Kanye announce his pairing with Roc-A-Fella to the pictures of Kanye before surgery.
This video is a story of triumph for Mr.West and like him or not, since getting his jaw wired he’s been unbreakable.