Bubba Sparxxx - Ugly

What this video is

Released in summer 2001, 'Ugly' arrived at the apex of Timbaland's cultural dominance and the mainstreaming of Dirty South hip-hop. The video's Athens, Georgia farm setting was a deliberate counter-aesthetic to the urban luxury visuals dominant in rap at the time, instead celebrating Southern working-class pride through mud, livestock, and rural community. The single peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100,…

Why it matters

A landmark early document of hick-hop as a mainstream commercial genre. 'Ugly' demonstrated that Southern rural identity could be successfully fused with Timbaland's cutting-edge beatmaking to produce a crossover hit. It validated the Dirty South aesthetic on a national scale and predated the…

The director

American music video director and NYU Tisch School of the Arts graduate. Founder of Rockhard Films, a New York-based production company. Has directed over 200 music videos across hip-hop, rock, and pop genres for artists including Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Red Hot…