It’s that time of the year again, where we put together a variety of year-end lists. This year, I’m going to kick it off with the visual overload, and my 25 favorite music videos of 2012. The list is in no particular order (other than alphabetical) and as it goes with most lists, I’m sure I left some off. Feel free to embed your favorite video in the comments!

Hit the jump for my choices, and stay tuned for more lists!

-grizzly

2 Chainz – Birthday Song feat. Kanye West
Director: Andreas Nilsson

The first video on our list is close to being the best of the year, in all honesty. The party in the video seems like the greatest, most ignorant birthday party I’ll never be invited to. I can’t decide what my favorite part is, but the whole ‘Kanye West is riding a bicycle in this video’ thing is pretty high up there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofoIMg76Sng
ASAP Rocky – Goldie (NSFW)
Director: ASAP Rocky

Self-producing this smooth looking gem is what landed this one on my list. Stylish as hell, full of glitz, gold and girls. It’s a rap video, after all.

Chairlift – Met Before
Director: Jordan Fish

Chairlift’s interactive video provided plenty of “choose your own adventure” choices to a video that could’ve just pulled off being straight forward and one-dimensional. But hey, Chairlift overachieved lots, and it paid off. Do yourself a favor and watch it a few times, trying new combos each time – you might see two girls making out.

Watch “Met Before” here.

http://youtu.be/NHfWY0is3rE
Danny Brown – Grown Up
Director: Greg Brunkalla

Danny Brown’s pretty wild and eccentric as it is, but going inside the vision of the director to see Danny as a child is something you can’t pass up. Oh, and you also get “Danny Brown: Origins” for the whole ‘messed up teeth’ thing.

Drake – HYFR (Hell Yeah Fuckin’ Right) feat. Lil Wayne
Director: Director X

How could you possibly not have a blast watching this video? Great concept, great everything. Also, we have this gif forever. The only downfall here is Lil Wayne’s stupid ass checkerboard suit.

Fat Tony & Tom Cruz – Double Dragon
Director: Tim Hendrix

Fat Tony and Tom Cruz showcased plenty of good times on their mixtape, Double Dragon, but none better than the moments captured in this video, full of 8-bit glory. Who ever thought beating a cops ass to avoid arrests could be so whimsical? And +100 points for shooting cocaine out of your eyes, smoking weed and drinking Guinness? Sign me up.

The Game – Celebration feat. Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Tyga and Wiz Khalifa
Director: Matt Alonzo

Ignore the fact that this video was MEANT to be the new era’s edition of “Nothin’ But A G Thang.” Ignore the Bone Thugs sample (ok, you can’t.) But do know that a real celebration took place, and it had plenty of good lookin’ women and even got shut down during production.

Japandroids – The House that Heaven Built
Director: Jim Larsen

I can’t imagine it’s easy to capture the energy that a Japandroids record holds, but the video for “The House that Heaven Built” holds nothing extraordinary and manages to do so using only black and white. Oh and if I was on tour with these guys, I’d be drinking all the god damn time too.

http://vimeo.com/50202799
Jean Grae – Kill Screen
Director: Jean Grae

Jean Grae’s bloody video for “Kill Screen” has plenty of ‘weird’ and ‘wtf’ factor to it, but she directed this, and that makes the subliminal messages all the more macabre. Good on you, Ms. Grae.

JJ DOOM – Guv’Nor
Director: Ninian Doff

It’s 2012 and MF Doom was in a fuckin’ music video. And if you wanna get technical with it, he’s in this one twice.

Lana Del Rey – National Anthem feat. ASAP Rocky
Director: Anthony Mandler

Lana’s pouty lips took the internet by storm for the past two years, and none greater than her dual role as Jackie O and Marilyn Monroe in the 8 minute clip – but the real kicker is a controversial approach in casting ASAP Rocky as President Kennedy, who I’m sure also referred to himself as “Dat PMF.” Bold and brave on all fronts, but also pretty damn entertaining.

Linkin Park – Lost in the Echo
Director: Jason Zada, Jason Nickel

While the video above is a placeholder, and a rather unimpressive one (considering LP’s penchant for pretty cool videos). But if you take a few minutes, log in to your Facebook and visit the homepage for the REAL music video, you’ll see that the interactive (and intrusive!) real video for “Lost in the Echo” was a pretty great one.

M.I.A. – Bad Girls
Director: Romain Gavras

Director Romain Gavras hasn’t done many videos, and that’s what makes his outings so prolific and special. “Bad Girls” can now join the ranks of M.I.A’s controversial “Born Free” and Justice’s “Stress” as his best work, but “Bad Girls” in nature is larger than life. Cars and horses and fire and I don’t even know where to begin, but you should also put ‘the making of’ clip on your “to-watch” list.

http://youtu.be/E3wIJ774gJs
Nas – The Don
Director: Aristotle

It’s great to see Nas back on top of the rap game. This video seems displaced, as its filters and overall theme fits that of the mid 90s – and I’m sure that’s what they were going for. Samples of Heavy D, getting custom tailored suits, drinking fine wines and rooftop lunches are all recipes of a great thing.

The Niceguys – Magick
Director: Evesborough Films

Can’t have a year-end list of music videos without showing some love to Danny Ocean and Evesborough for their consistently great work. In “Magick,” a little trick videography and iconic shots of our beautiful hometown, Houston, go a long way.

Odd Future – Oldie
Director: Lance Bangs

Last year, I spent plenty of time hating on these guys, but their slide out of the “100% ALL THE TIME PUBLIC BLOG EYE” has made it easier on us all. While off at a Terry Richardson photoshoot, the fellas started rapping into the camera and hey, on the spot – decided this was a music video in the making. A quick “You keep filming! Fuck what they say!” in the beginning sets things off proper, as all members of Odd Future get a little time in front of the screen. And the 6:00-6:15 mark is just too much cool, ain’t it?

Passion Pit – Take a Walk
Director: David Wilson/The Creators Project

Thought about trolling my own post and throwing the Taco Bell commercial in here, but forgot how cool the actual music video was. Of course you want to be a blue bouncing ball and take on its POV.

http://youtu.be/DEne4AoX_RU
Prince – Rock and Roll Love Affair
Director: Chris Robinson

It’s a Prince music video.

Psy – Gangnam Style
Director: ?

I’m sure you’re all sick of this song, but in 5 months, it has nearly a billion views (993m at the time this was published). Nothing’s ever come close to being this big globally.

Purity Ring – Lofticries
Director: AG Rojas

I don’t (usually) care for social commentary in my music videos or anything, but after reading a piece for this video on SheKnows, I took to this video. I had a hard time being reminded of the fact that we’re all desensitized as hell. Feels bad, man.

The Shoes – Time to Dance feat. Jake Gyllenhall
Director: Daniel Wolfe

You woke up this morning and either knew or came to find out that there was a music video out there with Jake Gyllenhall as the leading role – and a serial killing one at that. It’s pointless to describe this video, cause the 8:40 of absolute bizarre shit you’re about to watch speaks for itself.

Sleigh Bells – Comeback Kid
Director: Derek E. Miller, Gregory Kohn

Guitarist Derek Miller steps up to produce this gem with Gregory Kohn, in an effort that makes mundane things like grocery shopping cool as hell. Also, how cheesy and endearing is Alexis Krauss’ dancing in this video?

The-Dream – Dope Bitch feat. Pusha T
Director: Lance Drake

Women toting guns, mountains of cocaine and plenty of jewels contort their bodies to spell the words “Dope Bitch” and nothing else in the video is relevant anymore.

Tune-Yards – My Country
Director: Mimi Cave

This song is nearly unbearable for me. I’m not a fan of it by itself at all, but man – this video is just filled to the brim with joy, happiness and awesome ass kids playing instruments. That kid manning the drum ship is my hero.

YN Rich Kids – Hot Cheetos and Takis
Director: 13twentythree Photography

Kids cookin’ and rappin’ about snacks. FY if you don’t like this.

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Hope you enjoyed the videos, friends! Till the next list!
-grizzly