Top 10 Music Videos of January 2017

#10: “No Lie” Sean Paul feat. Dua Lipa

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Top 10 Music Videos of 2017

  Directed by Tim Nackashi, this video highlights Sean Paul’s undeniable charisma and charm, yet there’s visual flair to appreciate everywhere. There’s mirrors – lots and lot of mirrors – but rather than feeling like a cheap gimmick to symbolize reflection, the visuals further accentuate the superstar-in-the-making, Dua Lipa. The staging and color palette works wonders, and the external shots featuring Sean Paul provide some street flavor as well. Overall, the imagery creates a hypnotic effect, and combined with the catchy chorus, “No Lie” is most definitely pure fire across the board.    

#9: “Cold Cold Cold” Cage the Elephant

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  Directed by lead singer Matthew Schultz, the video for “Cold Cold Cold” shows a clear Kubrick influence. But whereas some rock bands rely heavily on blatant homages to their favorite directors, Cage the Elephant takes a more broad approach. For mood, well, the monochrome imagery gets the job done, along with the claustrophobic and disturbing setting. Furthermore, the Kentucky rockers serve as the house band for a weird beheading ritual, which definitely adds a WTF element to the visual. It’s the kind of cinematic video that stands up on its own, complete with a cold color palette, complemented by a touch of blood red. It’s bold and certainly a bit disturbing, but it’s clear that Cage had a distinct vision in mind.    

#8: “Good Drank” 2 Chainz feat. Gucci Mane, Quavo

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  While black and white imagery can sometimes be used to convey emotion, this Howard Ross production utilizes it for pure style. To complement the track’s old school vibe, there’s some vintage flavor in “Good Drank,” not to mention the standout, purple imagery of the drank itself. With the free-flowing camera and relaxed demeanor of Chainz, Gucci and Quavo, the video exudes the classic cool of a bygone era. In other words, there’s an alternate reality at work; one where artists were a bit more blunt when it came to personal vices.     

  It’s been a while since we've received any new music from this English pop star, but clearly he’s been busy working, having released two brand new music videos in January of 2017. The first, directed by George Belfield, takes the audience for a journey through Sheeran’s adolescence in his hometown of Framlingham. Combining the scenic visuals of English countryside with the intimate close-ups from Sheeran’s memory, “Castle on the Hill” plays like a short film more than a music video, and was followed up by an equally captivating video for his track “Shape of You”.      

  If the last video doesn’t find its way into your dreams, this one most certainly will. For their first song in six years, Gorillaz teamed up with Giorgio Testi to direct a seriously trippy production, released just in time for Donald Trump’s inauguration. Despite the appearance of rainbows and animated birds, there’s an underlying sadness to “Hallelujah Money,” reinforced by the apocalyptic imagery. It’s not your typical party anthem, nor is it a video that many will have on repeat, yet it's a strong visual statement; a dynamic return for one of music’s most celebrated alt-rock bands.         

#5: “Pure Comedy” Father John Misty

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  Truly a music video in touch with the modern world, this production is a shortened snippet of the 25-minute original film. It’s a political music video; an unapologetic take on Trump’s rise, with visual references to troubling American themes. The absence of the artist lends weight to the central message, as Father John contrasts dark cartoons with well-placed footage to accentuate the lyrics. “Pure Comedy” undoubtedly follows an agenda, and the images feel more trendy than original, yet it’s another relevant video that doesn’t back down from its core message. Overall, “Pure Comedy” will likely stand up to Father Time, as Father John relays a story that captures a certain time and place, a narrative with no final ending.    

#4: “T-Shirt” Migos

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  In modern pop culture, Migos is correlated more with the A-T-L than anything else, but that doesn’t mean they’re not in touch with the outdoors. For “T-Shirt,” directed by DAPS and Migos’ own Quavo, the group fur traps while dropping some trap music for Mother Nature. Visually, it’s a tight music video that directly references 2015’s The Revenant using full fur outfits, icy mountaintops and scenery. And, instead of riding horseback they opted to go for the more current Ski-doo. Overall, “T-Shirt”  had us loving “the culture” and serves as a finely-directed complement to their other January 2017 video, “Call Casting.”    

#3: “Party Monster” The Weeknd

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  Continuing on with early 2017 trends, this video touches on existential themes while maintaining a neon, retro color palette. Given the stature of The Weeknd in 2017 pop culture, along with his reported romance with Selena Gomez, “Party Monster” feels absolutely current – absolutely NOW. With that being said, it’s captures The Weeknd’s vibe, as it’s got something for both faded lovers and lovers of faded filters. And considering it’s called “Party Monster,” well, it makes sense that it wouldn’t be a traditional music video full of clichés. Instead, it’s a surrealistic and eerie experience.      

#2: “I’m Better” Missy Elliott feat. Lamb

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  Directed by Dave Myers and Missy herself, here’s a hip-hop production that is characteristically weird. As usual, Missy’s thread game is on point, and the futuristic look is both streamlined and slick. As the cherry on top, though, Missy takes “I’m Better” underwater, where she and the crew make waves with their moves. For a noted visual artist like Elliott, the complexity of “I’m Better” can be easily overlooked, and it’s a video that offers something new with each viewing. Most importantly, it’s nice to see that Missy hasn’t lost any of that futuristic flair.     Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “HEAVEN” Troye Sivan feat. Betty Who       “Despacito”  Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee     “Goodbye” 2NE1      

  When Ryan Staake agreed to direct this music video, he was probably expecting to meet the actual artist. But due to various scheduling issues, Young Thug never arrived on set, forcing Staake to improvise one of the more creative hip-hop videos that you’ll ever see. From beginning to end, our director chronicles the original intent of “Wyclef Jean” and what he managed to ultimately wrangle together. It’s a bit snarky, and with good reason, as it’s an outrageous meta commentary that Young Thug obviously approved for release. There’s less focus on the music, and more emphasis on how you can sometimes make lemonade when life gives you lemons, or in this case, when Young Thug goes AWOL and sends video snippets of him eating Cheetos.       So, do you agree with our selections? What is your favorite music video from January 2017? For more musical Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.