Image via Complex Original
Considered "The Crossroads of the World" by some, Times Square is a commercial overload—a mass of advertising, extravagance, lights and people located in Midtown Manhattan. It's one of the world's most frequented tourist destinations and busiest intersections, as well as where the ball drops to simultaneous delight and exasperation each New Year's Eve.
Times Square is also considered an entertainment epicenter due to the aggressive marketing blitz, and, like it or not, a site that people will forever associate with New York City because everyone recognizes it instantly. For these reasons in particular, popular culture relies upon it heavily to establish distinct "New York" settings, thus making it a location of choice for several hip-hop music videos over the years. Hell, Hype Williams, one of the most revered directors of his time, loves to utilize Times Square in his work.
This look at the best rap videos shot in Times Square, each ranked by how frustratingly "Times Square" they are (one being the least; 10 the most), will really make you think about how essential the indispensable Times Square shot is to the music video.
Written by Julian Kimble (@JRK316)
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Max B "Take Me Away"
How frustratingly Times Square is it on a scale of 1-10? 5
It's extremely difficult not to love a Max B video that features him standing on top of a police car, especially when it looks like you could've filmed it yourself. The video for "Take Me Away" is low-budget, but that actually gives it character. The highlight is the scene where Max says "blew a hundred grand and I got that back" and throws money, only to have it fly back into his hand when the scene is rewound. It's cheap genius.
It's Biggaveli's charisma—that same love for the camera that made him viral gold when he was still free—that prevents this video from being ridiculous in a negative way. The video closes with him sauntering off into the madness of New York City on some wavy, semi-king of the city shit.
Tha Dogg Pound ft. Snoop Dogg "New York, New York"
How frustratingly Times Square is it on a scale of 1-10? 5
Snoop and Tha Dogg Pound hopped on a flight to New York City to wreak a little East Coast havoc, which they most certainly did. During their time in the city, they don pea coats and Shaft-esque leathers and execute the requisite '90s Times Square hip-hop shot. In the process, Snoop's lanky ass kicks over a few buildings during those hilarious—and now infamous—scenes.
This is the incendiary visual that made Jay-Z pen the line that pissed Prodigy off, and ultimately made Jay-Z do this. It set off a chain reaction and is pretty antagonistic, though things should never escalate to the point that your trailer gets shot at while on location. New York hip-hop hasn't been this up in arms since, well, you know.
Prodigy "New York Shit"
How frustratingly Times Square is it on a scale of 1-10? 6
You probably wouldn't anticipate a rapper like Prodigy to have the quintessential, sped-up shot of time elapsing in New York City in one of his videos. Alas, it probably shouldn't be that surprising considering the video is for a song called "New York Shit." As he drives through the city and rattles off things associated with life in New York, there are reoccurring shots of Times Square. Hate it or love it, visiting Times Square is among the shit that people do in New York, and Prodigy manages to make something cliché a little bit more intriguing because, well, he's Prodigy.
Jay-Z ft. Pharrell "Blue Magic"
How frustratingly Times Square is it on a scale of 1-10? 6
Over a decade after he made cruising through Times Square look effortlessly cool, Hype Williams offered a refreshing take on the phenomenon through the video for "Blue Magic," the lead single from Jay-Z's true comeback album, American Gangster. Pharrell, forever the taste maker, can be seen crawling through Times Square in a red Rolls Royce—with the top down, of course.
Busta Rhymes "Woo Hah! Got You All In Check"
How frustratingly Times Square is it on a scale of 1-10? 7
The video for Busta Rhymes' first solo single actually opens with about a minute of "Everything Remains Raw," featuring Busta driving through Times Square (with Spliff Starr riding shotgun, of course) as the bright lights battle with his animated demeanor for the viewer's attention. Busta's an expressive dude, so that's a task. From the fisheye lens to the blends and signature slow motion shots, the video is vintage Hype Williams. If you were going to film a hip-hop video in Times Square in 1996, this was the way to do it.
Nas ft. Lauryn Hill "If I Ruled the World"
How frustratingly Times Square is it on a scale of 1-10? 7
It Was Written brought Nas his first taste of commercial success, primarily because of its lead single and the accompanying video. Like the typical Hype Williams, mid-90s masterpiece, it utilizes several of the auteur's favorite tricks like slow motion, rapid transitions, and complex, kaleidoscopic shots. The majority of the video features Nas and Lauryn Hill being driven through Times Square, a perfect setting considering the song's title. It's hard not to feel like royalty when you're being escorted through the excess, surrounded by the lights, figuratively on top of the world.
The Roots ft. Raphael Saadiq "What They Do"
How frustratingly Times Square is it on a scale of 1-10? 8, for irony
With the assistance of director Charles Stone lll, the Roots attacked '90s hip-hop video clichés with "What They Do." Over mellow production, Black Thought confidently challenges his peers to step their game up as Raphael Saadiq repeatedly croons a warning. As overused rap video scenes are picked off one by one, the archetypal Times Square shot—complete with celebrity cameos—also meets the firing squad.
Furthermore, the smug text overlays ("Yet another Times Square shot") take the video to another echelon. By its completion, formulas are confronted, champagne glasses are raised and the question of who's actually keeping it real is posed. It's one of the best hip-hop videos ever, ironic Times Square shots and all.
Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind"
How frustratingly Times Square is it on a scale of 1-10? 8
When Hype Williams brings cameras to Times Square, he goes all out. The video for "Empire State Mind" is the standard New York City advertisement, only the cinematography is a little more crisp. Throughout the video, Jay-Z pops up at various locations across the city, including his old stash spot. What better way to profess your love for the place that birthed you than to revisit significant locations? It's nostalgia and a half.
Also, in an extremely egregious move, Williams places Jay, Alicia Keys and her piano right in Times Square. Then again, you can't make a video for a song called "Empire State of Mind" and not have it be just a little over the top, can you?
Chance The Rapper "Juice"
How frustratingly Times Square is it on a scale of 1-10? 9
Chance The Rapper takes on the brights lights and big city by treating Times Square like his own huge, illuminated playground. As Chance wanders around the maze, you can see his face on the billboards in the distance, and the whole video plays out like some type of "Chance in Wonderland" hallucination. It's a fun take on what staggering through Times Square feels like while high on life.
112 ft. Notorious B.I.G. & Mase "Only You" Remix
How frustratingly Times Square is It on a scale of 1-10? 9
Though intercut with a few shots from the original video from 112's breakthrough hit, the majority of the remix's video takes place in one primary location: Times Square. The abundance of low-angle shots captures the wealth of flashing lights, billboards for The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast and Rent, and general over-stimulation that truly makes you feel as if you're in that Hummer, as well.
What's more, the video has an unmistakably '90s feel, all the way down to the moto jackets and assortment of colors. It's a feel-good, four-and-a-half minutes, complete with a young 112, pre-"Is that you, Betha?! Mase, Diddy when he was "Puff Daddy," and Biggie when he was still with us. Yes, it's technically an R&B video, but Biggie and Mase's verses—and Times Square—are the dominate forces.