Mariah Carey - Obsessed

What this video is

Released July 2009 amid a highly publicized feud with Eminem, 'Obsessed' arrived at a cultural flashpoint where celebrity beef had migrated from diss tracks to music video theatrics. Carey's decision to portray a hoodie-clad male stalker—widely read by press and public as an Eminem parody despite her denials—turned the video into a tabloid event before and after premiere. The video premiered on America's Got Talent…

Why it matters

Represents a landmark in late-2000s R&B video aesthetics: the celebrity-as-auteur dual-role performance video. Carey's self-directed gender drag anticipates a broader 2010s trend of pop stars subverting their own image within video narratives. The rapid-cut HD digital style, warm saturation, and…

The director

Brett Ratner (born 1969, Miami, FL) began his career directing music videos in the 1990s, getting his start through hip-hop videos, before transitioning to feature films with Money Talks (1997). He became best known for directing the blockbuster Rush Hour…