With so many hip hop media outlets today, from MTV to BET and more, with people even being able to record music videos on their phones, the notion of hip hop without music videos seems completely preposterous. However, in the mid to late 1970s, when the genre was finding its feet, music videos were non-existent or very basic.
Hip hop dates all the way back to the 1970s, but one of the first smash hits from the genre was brought to us by the famous Sugar Hill Gang. The trio undoubtedly made history when their song, ‘Rapper’s Delight’, made it into the Billboard Top 40. With it, the Sugar Hill Gang also brought us the first-ever rap music video.
Since 1979, as technology has evolved, so too have music videos. Today, there is a vast range of different aesthetics rappers can create with the technology available to them, and one of the most popular aesthetics to emerge is the ‘trippy’ aesthetic.
Often associated with drug culture, ‘trippy’ videos are frequently psychedelic and confusing but also can be attractive and intriguing. Repeatedly used by rappers who reference the state of being high or feeling euphoric, psychedelic music videos are interesting to watch and can sometimes actually be quite addictive.
In this article, we’re going to look at the top five trippy hip hop videos ever made. Take a look at our picks below.
The five best trippy hip hop videos:
5. ‘Gain Clout’ – Young Thug
Although Young Thug’s music may not be for everyone, it is fair to say he has more than his fair share of hardcore fans. The Atlanta rapper, with his YSL label, is most definitely an artist who is open when it comes to expressing his love for drugs and is one of the rappers which people look down on for his narcotic promotion.
Irrespective of this, when Young Thug releases a track, it always comes with interesting visuals, and this can most definitely be said for his 2018 single ‘Gain Clout’. From his Gain Clout mixtape, it is a decent song made great by a very trippy video.
![Young Thug - Gain Clout [Official Video]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WlkgstWUBgs/hqdefault.jpg)
4. ‘Goosebumps’ – Travis Scott ft Kendrick Lamar
Travis Scott is one of the most popular rappers in contemporary hip hop. Born in Texas, his highly melodic, catchy and unique style has put him at the top of the charts on multiple occasions, and he is currently performing at Zouk nightclub with his nightclub residency.
One of his hit tracks is ‘Goosebumps’ featuring Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar which, released in 2016, is now eight times platinum. The legendary song also has fantastic trippy visuals that transport viewers out of this world and into a spectacular new one.
3. ‘All Of The Lights’ – Kanye West ft Rihanna, Kid Cudi & others
Directed by the legendary Hype Williams, the video for this 2010 single by Kanye West even has a precautionary warning for people with photosensitive epilepsy because it is so colourful.
The video perfectly aligns itself with the theme of the song and showcases text stylised as lights in a range of different colours, sizes and shapes. It changes very often and very quickly, creating an extreme sense of psychedelic movement. With the video beginning in black and white, it quickly sends viewers into a colourful frenzy that is bound to help you into a new world of psychedelia.
2. ‘L$D’ – A$AP Rocky
Arguably the king of trippy videos, A$AP Rocky of Harlem’s A$AP Mobb has been one of the more successful members of his crew and has just recently become a father with his partner, and pop billionaire, Rihanna.
‘L$D’ was the third single for At. Long. Last. ASAP, and saw the artist explore completely new territory with his music as he experimented with singing and chose a less trap-orientated beat, instead trying a more downtempo, progressive-rock beat.
The song is most known for its incredible music video, which is a psychedelic paradise. Full of enthralling visual effects and trippy transitions, the video for ‘L$D’ adds tremendously to the listening experience track and, aesthetically, complements the track brilliantly.
1. ‘Yamborghini High’ – A$AP Rocky ft Juicy J
This track by A$AP Rocky is undoubtedly the trippiest and weirdest hip-hop visual on the internet. The theme of the video, of course, is to do with the state of being ‘high’ as mentioned in the title of the track. However, this video, to create its trippy feel, uses a common aesthetic that most people would call “glitch”.
Like a broken computer, the video erratically morphs from different coloured frames using pixels and is extremely confusing but, at the same time, compelling. The video most definitely embodies everything about the state of being high. There are no rules. The visuals just morph and, in a free-flowing way, progress, taking the viewer on a journey. ‘Yamborghini’ high, which features Memphis rapper Juicy J, is most definitely the best trippy video in hip hop.
