Artists Without Say Keep Saying

Have you ever watched a music video and wondered how, in any way possible, is it related to the actual song?

ALL. THE. TIME.

In the article about rap music (which was actually an interesting read!), they go into detail of how music videos are produced. Although most of the music video production budget is mostly advanced from the artists' royalties, the artists themselves have the least amount of creative control. Once a single is chosen (hopefully it's a song the artist actually wanted to release...), management gets together with possible directors to brainstorm ideas. In the article they say "the video directors draft narrative treatments that USUALLY draw on the rap artists' desires, strengths, lyrical focus, and the feel of the music." But how well do these people know the artists, or even what the artists envisioned for a particular song?

When it comes to pop artists, I don't necessarily expect to see an artist's true vision while watching their music videos. However, when it comes to rappers, who are known for writing their own material, I expect differently. If an artist writes his/her own material, they were involved from the first lyric, so why stop halfway?

I can't wait for the day where all music artists are what they claim to be: ARTISTS. An artist should be in control of everything they release to the public. They should proudly call their songs and videos their OWN.

But 'til then, let's keep watching...