Big Sean - Dance (A$$) Remix ft. Nicki Minaj

What this video is

Released November 1, 2011, this video arrived at the apex of the G.O.O.D. Music blog-to-mainstream pipeline, when hip-hop's center of gravity was shifting from physical radio promotion to VEVO viral launches. The song samples MC Hammer's 'U Can't Touch This' (itself sampled from Rick James's 'Super Freak'), layering generational intertextuality into a track critics noted drew from Detroit ghettotech innovator DJ…

Why it matters

A defining artifact of early 2010s mainstream rap's transition to digital-first video culture. The video codified the rapid-cut, club-performance aesthetic that would dominate VEVO-era hip-hop visuals. Its internet-native directorial team (Carson/Waxx of IllRoots) represents the moment blog-rap…

The director

Mike Carson is a Grammy-nominated, award-winning director and designer working across live performance, film, photography, and design; his clients include Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Big Sean, Apple, Netflix, and Chanel. Mike Waxx co-founded the hip-hop…