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8 Forgotten Music Videos From Before YouTube

Written by Luke Muyskens. Published: Wednesday, July 6, 2011.

Because of the rise of social networking and internet media, modern-day music videos are seen by a huge spectrum of people and are spread like wildfire. This is great for music videos today, but the ones that were released fifteen or twenty years ago – before the rise of YouTube as a tool for independent musicians – are sometimes left in the dust. Some of them have gotten a modern-day resurrection and earned hundreds of thousand of views, but many of hip hop’s most classic music videos have been sadly neglected.

It seems a terrible, unspeakable shame that the video for Justin Beiber featuring Ludacris has garnered 13,000 more views than the video for Nas’ “One Love”. But, what’s worse, are the videos that seemed to have been skipped over entirely; undeniably classic tracks that seem to have received almost no face time for today’s YouTube generation.

While we can’t put these videos on Bieber status and grant them millions of views along, we’re hoping that bringing some of them to light will spur an increased interest in the music videos of yesteryear that seem to have fallen into the lonely, cavernous existence somewhere between MTV and the Internet. We delved into the depths of the YouTube’s vast catalog to find some forgotten gems, so take a break from whatever “fresh new” video you’re watching to pay homage to these pioneers of early hip hop music videos.

Public Enemy – Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos

Views: 90,607

Release: 1988

The legendary Public Enemy has always been on the forefront of strong social and political rap and envelope-pushing content, and “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” is one of their most powerful songs and videos, arguably one of the most powerful of all time. Telling the story of a man who is incarcerated when he refuses the draft and leads an escape from the prison, the song has a slow menacing beat sampling Isaac Hayes’ chaotic high-pitched piano, and the video effectively matches the dramatic tone with stark images of prison riots, inmates plotting, and abusive guards. The story builds from the beginning, with a frustrated Chuck D plotting his escape and securing a gun, and culminates in a disastrous escape attempt that results in shots and chaos until they are rescued by the S1Ws. However, it appears in the video that Chuck D did not join the escapees. This classic video is not only a powerful work of art, it is also an important model for social and political commentary and the impact it can have.

Tame 1, Copywrite, J-Zone, Cage, Mr. Eon, and Skillz – Eastern Conference All-Stars

Views: 8,202

Release: 2001

This hidden gem of a music video is one of the grimiest compilation tracks to come out of the era and features unique performances from some of the Eastern Conference’s greatest minds. Highlights include Tame One running aimlessly through an industrial park in a blue jumpsuit with a road flare, a fish-eyed Copywrite driving a conversion van, Cage in a basement being rained on by PCP, and Eon staffing a clothing store. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, it’s a rare treat to see these underground stars in their earliest stages, teeming with grillz and braggadocio. If you like this video, it may be worth it to look up the video for “Smut Peddler’s Bottom Feeders” featuring R.A. the Rugged Man, but the video is not for the weak of stomach. These Weathermen-to-be rappers and other EC veterans have a sharp and twisted sense of humor, and this entertaining and obscure video is a prime example of that.