Mariah Carey - Angels Cry ft. Ne-Yo

What this video is

Released in January 2010 as a remix single featuring Ne-Yo, 'Angels Cry' was drawn from Carey's twelfth studio album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009) and intended as the lead single for the proposed remix album Angels Advocate, which was ultimately cancelled. The video's intimate, low-budget aesthetic reflected a broader post-recession trend in R&B toward stripped production values and emotional authenticity…

Why it matters

The video represents a key document of late-2000s adult contemporary R&B's turn toward naturalism and emotional sincerity. As a Mariah Carey legacy release cross-pollinated with Ne-Yo's contemporary R&B sensibility, it bridges the classic-soul tradition with the VEVO-era distribution landscape,…

The director

Nick Cannon is an American entertainer, media personality, and television host who co-directed this video alongside Mariah Carey, his then-wife. Mariah Carey is a multi-platinum recording artist and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, who has…