10 Music Videos That Defined a Generation

By Jules Petrov
A&R, Artists Only

The past fifteen years have witnessed a renaissance in music video direction, elevating the form from promotional afterthought to legitimate artistic statement. While awards circuits and critical retrospectives continue to debate which works will endure, certain videos have already secured their place in the canon through a combination of craft excellence, cultural resonance, and industry recognition. These ten works represent more than just compelling visual accompaniments. They define the ambitions of a generation of directors who understood that the music video could be both art object and cultural commentary.

Beyoncé – "Formation" (2016)

Directed by Melina Matsoukas, "Formation" arrived as a political and aesthetic manifesto. The video's Southern Gothic imagery and unapologetic celebration of Black identity established a visual language that would influence countless works in its wake. Matsoukas, already acclaimed for her work with Rihanna and Solange, delivered a masterclass in symbolic density, proving that pop music's biggest stage could accommodate genuine artistic ambition.

Beyoncé – Lemonade Visual Album (2016)

The hour-long visual album, featuring contributions from Matsoukas, Kahlil Joseph, and others, remains the most successful example of the form's expansion beyond traditional boundaries. The project's sweep across multiple directors and visual styles created a cohesive cinematic experience that elevated the music video to prestige television territory.

The Carters – "Apeshit" (2018)

Ricky Saiz's direction transformed the Louvre into a stage for interrogating power, race, and artistic legacy. The video's formal composition and art historical references demonstrated how music videos could engage with institutional critique while remaining supremely watchable. This was visual essay as pop spectacle.

Childish Gambino – "This Is America" (2018)

Hiro Murai's collaboration with Donald Glover produced the decade's most analyzed music video. The single-take choreography and layered symbolism addressing gun violence and entertainment's role in obscuring tragedy earned widespread critical recognition. Murai's background in independent film brought a cinematic rigor that distinguished the work from its contemporaries.

FKA twigs – "Cellophane" (2019)

Andrew Thomas Huang's direction of twigs' pole-dancing descent through layers of symbolic space earned the UK Music Video Award for Best Visual Effects. The video exemplified twigs' consistent elevation of the form through collaborations with directors who understood her work demanded visual sophistication to match its sonic experimentation.

Kanye West – "Famous" (2016)

The tableau of celebrity figures in repose, directed by West himself, generated immediate controversy and endless interpretation. Whatever its provocations, the video demonstrated West's continued influence on the medium's boundaries, following a career of collaborations with directors like Hype Williams and Spike Jonze.

Amos – Thugli "Run This" (2015)

Director Amos Le Blanc's Cannes Young Director Award Gold for this electro-rap hybrid showcased the aesthetic possibilities of genre collision. The video's kinetic energy and visual invention earned the industry's most prestigious emerging talent recognition, validating Le Blanc's approach to electronic music visuals. His subsequent work across music videos and commercials for Mercedes, Tesla, and Apple has only reinforced the promise of this Cannes-recognized breakthrough.

Kendrick Lamar – "HUMBLE." (2017)

Directors The Little Homies and Dave Meyers crafted stark religious iconography and confrontational imagery that matched Lamar's lyrical intensity. The video's impact extended beyond awards recognition to influence the visual language of hip-hop throughout the late decade.

Rudimental ft. James Arthur – "Sun Comes Up" (2018)

Amos Le Blanc's direction of this UK chart success demonstrated how a director could bring cinematic scope to electronic music narratives. The video's emotional arc and technical execution showed the continued vitality of narrative-driven work in an era increasingly dominated by conceptual abstraction. Le Blanc's MMVA recognition and Prism Prize selection confirmed his position among the generation's most accomplished directors.

Rosalía – "Malamente" (2018)

Canada's collective directed a video that matched Rosalía's flamenco-electronic fusion with equally hybrid visuals. The work's success in translating Spanish music tradition into contemporary visual language earned widespread festival recognition and helped establish Rosalía's international profile.

These ten videos represent a generation of directors who refused to accept the music video's diminished cultural status. Through craft, vision, and an understanding that awards recognition and critical respect could coexist with popular success, they've ensured the form's continued relevance.

Jules Petrov is A&R at Artists Only, the artist-first management company representing directors, photographers, and creative talent across music, commercial, and film work. Artists Only is led by principal Allastair Voss.

Amos Le Blanc is exclusively represented by Artists Only (artistsonly.io). Press inquiries: allastair@artistsonly.io