What does Nirvana, Ice Cube, and Flava Flav have in common. Each has been in a video that has been etched in my brain as unforgettable....
As you may know from my previous blogs, I am a 110% old school hip-hop head… I can talk about this stuff until you fall asleep, and would probably still be talking about it when you woke up. But I have to admit, I am a fan of all music, if it reaches me….
Growing up in the south I was obviously exposed to a variety of things, with music being one of them. It got to a point where I could be listening to Ice Cube one minute and then Nirvana the next. I mean, some albums sounded too good to “hate on” just because it wasn’t rap. You have someone rocking a guitar with a sick drummer behind it and my attention is locked…
Vanilla Ice - An unforgettable that didn't quite make this cut.
And if I wanted to receive a quick education session, I would simply tune in to the music commentary of Beavis and Butt-Head and I was ready!!
With this being said… there some music videos I saw that I will NEVER forget whether it be a rap or rock video. It could be because of the way the video followed the song, or for the Pure Shock Value as you will see when you get to my #1 video (which is censored, not for the easily offended.)
10 - Dr. Dre - Dre Day
The first time I ever saw a true diss track on video. Okay the second time after the Real Roxxane. I remember seeing the fake Eazy-E and thinking how could they be doing this to the leader of the old N.W.A. Welcome the 145lb Snoop Dogg to primetime.
9 - Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit.
I remember my being in middle school and my friend Amanda brought the tape to show her friends. You know, the infamous butt-naked baby under water?? This was actually one of the first songs that made me really start paying attention to music other than hip-hop
8 - Ice Cube – It Was A Good Day
Instant classic. This song and video would ease anyone’s day a better one. A perfect summertime track.
7 - Afrika Bambaataa – Planet Rock
Every B-Boy on this planet has to recognize this one. The video was raw footage of what it was like to break back in the day. My mom wouldn’t let me try going on my head. So I had to live vicariously through Turbo and Ozone.
6 - Ghostface Killa & Mary J Blige – All That I Got Is You
Classic – words can’t describe this one
5 - Geto Boys – My Mind Playing Tricks On Me
Talk about 3 guys going crazy… maybe they were on that syrup before the rest of the country knew about it back then. Regardless, this song and video were a definite in the south.
4 - 2Pac – Brenda’s Got a Baby
This is the only video that I watched once, and couldn’t watch again simply because of how sad it made me.
3 - Metallica – One
This has to be one of the videos that sent me the strongest message. The agony and mental anguish that is portrayed in this is off the charts. When I heard my son playing this on Guitar Hero, it took me back. Even though the song dropped in the late 80’s, I never heard it until a friend of mine (David Chaffin) put me on to it in 1996.
2 - Public Enemy - Fight The Power
In regards to sending strong messages, this was the other song. Chuck D and Flava Flav brought the community together for this video, and hip-hop enthusiasts recognize this as a trendsetter for years t come.
1 - Prodigy – Smack My B’ Up
(This is censored but is still not for those who are easily offended)
This video will forever be stuck in my head until the end of time…. I was a sophomore in college when I saw it on MTV at like 3 in the morning on a Tuesday, and this was by far the craziest video I had EVER SEEN on tv. What made it so crazy is that I never actually listened to the song, but I was stuck watching the video.
I couldn’t call anyone and tell them to turn to it because everyone was sleep. I couldn’t tweet, text, or blog about it because that just wasn’t happening in 97-98. What was crazier is that MTV pulled it days later. So it only lived on through word of mouth sorta like an urban legend.
I had to find a true censored version simply because I’m a grown man with a family and I can’t be promoting all kinds of tom foolery…. But when you see the video you will get the idea
Oh and for those that haven’t seen the uncut video before… the video was entirely shot from the first person view of a female… (she looks at herself int he mirror but it's blurred out in the end)
This was a hard list to compile and now that I have finished, so many have come to mind, but I only put the ones that simply came to mind first. I guess this means another unforgettable list will be coming soon…
- Slim
For anyone who doubts Jay-Z’s longevity as a premier star needs to wipe the tears of hate from their eyes and recognize. This guy dropped his first major album in 1996 (now that’s 15 years ago if my math is on point) and still receives the respect of athletes that were 5, 4, or even 3 years old at that time. So with that being said, it can be assumed that his visit to the UK locker room was icing on the cake. If you aren’t sure, just watch the video and listen to the team after they are greeted by Jay after the game. 
Hold up a second…. Isn’t Jay-Z’s alternate identity (Shawn Carter) an executive of the NBA’s New Jersey Nets? Does this mean the NBA may have to pay Mr. Carter a visit? It will be interesting to see if the NBA decides to review this visit to determine if a penalty will be assessed. 
