Welcome to TWIB’s Weekly Top 5 Videos. This is a segment where we will be looking at some exceptional visuals from various acts from around the globe. The music video format has been around for decades and through the 90s and 2000s, it has really taken flight from multi-million budget music videos, to mid to low-budget videos with exceptional features. In this section, we will not discriminate but rather highlight some of the creative visuals that pop up on our radar.

Free Hamze – “Exotic on the Ceiling”

Texas artists Free Hamze, Gulfwey, and Paris Aden team up to represent their city with this collaboration titled “Exotic on the Ceiling”. The song has a dreamy soundscape and lush textures that blend with the rapper’s melodic runs and nonchalant flows. The music video, shot by Houston videographer Pierre LeFleur, was shot in various locations across the Houston Museum District and makes use of psychedelic visual effects and lots of ethereal motifs spliced against their performance shots.

Betty Beata – “My Favourite Time Of The Year”

Singer/songwriter Betty Beata reminds us of the good times in “My Favourite Time Of The Year”, a tribute to Christmas and the great feelings that come with it. Produced by her life-and-music partner Dave Sereny, Beata’s sultry vocals captivates us in an atmosphere as warm and inviting as a fireside. Sereny’s production echoes recognizable holiday hues—hushed bells sprinkling over jazzy and charming chords—while elevating the typical tones with scintillating synths that whirr with enchantment behind sultry ornamental background vocals. The visual features Beata regaling as the queen of Christmas in a winter wonderland, interspersed with heartwarming teasers from the film.

Joey Golden – Sagittarius Sun feat. Lunae (prod. by TeedotEinsof)

Joey Golden shares the visuals for “Sagittarius Sun” featuring Lunea. The reflective song gets the visual treatment that uses different performance shots of the artist as he runs through random thoughts swirling in his mind. “Sagittarius Sun” is taken from the album Retrograde 2 released on 2/22/22 about the time period of 2019-2022 during the world’s lockdown.

Yazmina Gasolina – “HIjab Low”

Singer/songwriter Yazmina Gasolina of Iranian/Spanish descent delivers this reflective and thought-provoking record titled  “HIjab Low”. Inspired by her multicultural background, the singer delivers a thoughtful piece that explores femininity, and identity crisis in the face of patriarchy. Over a punchy bouncy soundscape, she delivers a fiery and unbridled display of strength and freedom as she explores who she is as a woman in the modern world. The visual is a fusion of motifs and showcase of female power in this world where their voices are being silenced by the powers that be.
“Hijab Low” is dedicated to woman, girls & everyone who is fighting in the fire of the current female-led uprising in Iran.

RYN SCOTT – “TGFTB2”

Ryan Scott and producer Jake Bass return with an anthemic piece titled “TGFTB2”. Over Jake’s cinematic and urgent soundscape made up of low tones, brooding textures and rousing guitar riffs, Ryan gets into his element with fiery raps that dive into the concept of being true to self and having integrity in the face of capitalism. The visual is shot in a one-take approach and uses blurry effects which adds a sort of realism into the mix.

Double A.B. x Git Beats – “Sashimi” prod. by Git Beats

New York’s conceptual rap veteran Double A.B help close out the video playlist this week with “Sashimi”, a mellow soothing piece that serves as the official anthem of Raw Like Sushi, NYC’s premiere sushi-serving speakeasy known for its vinyl-only DJ sets and celebrity clientele such as Kate Moss, Anderson .Paak and G-Eazy. The beat by Git Beats is soulful and soft while Double A.B’s precise flows and vivid lyrics help add the natural spice to the mix. The visual shot by Steven Tapia is sensual, brooding and expressive as well. “Sashimi”  is the first single from Double A.B. & Git Beats’ upcoming album, Lungs Of Mahalia.