- Hey guys, what's up?
It's Vanessa Simmons and I'm super excited today,
because music, like, literally runs through my blood
and through my veins.
And I'm excited to share my top five picks with you guys.
They all have a special story and a special meaning to me
so, excited to get into it.
(upbeat hip hop music)
First of all, music videos are my childhood.
Like, they remind me of growing up.
They were so relevant in my life.
Like, I really truly am "Growing Up Hip Hop".
It's not just the title of a show that I appear on.
I literally am "Growing Up Hip Hop".
There were times when I was growing up
that I remember waking up for school
and my dad would still be in a session in our basement,
like mixing songs with his friends, his group members,
and just gives me a really good feeling.
Music can take me out of a state of feeling sad
or not in a great mood, and put me in such a good mood.
There's something about music
and there's something special about music videos
and they are not made how they used to be made.
So my first music video pick is Snoop Dogg,
featuring Pharrell, and it's "Beautiful".
Literally the name of the song is "Beautiful",
and I absolutely love this video.
Absolutely love this track,
and it's guaranteed to make you feel beautiful.
It totally reminds me of being in college
and going on my first ever spring break,
like, the beach and the video, the vibes.
I know they were in Brazil, but you could not tell me
that on my first spring break to Miami as an adult,
going with my friends, that I was not in Brazil,
like, it felt exotic, it felt beautiful.
And this song was definitely the soundtrack
to me and my friends' first spring break.
("Beautiful")
♪ Oh oh oh oh ♪
♪ Yeah yeah yeah yeah ♪
♪ Oh oh oh oh ♪
♪ Yeah yeah yeah yeah ♪
♪ Beautiful I just want you to know ♪
♪ You're my favorite girl ♪
♪ Beautiful I just want you to know ♪
♪ You're my favorite girl ♪
♪ I know you gon' lose it this new Snoop ♪
♪ Come one baby boo you gots to get into it ♪
♪ Don't fool wit the player with the cool whip ♪
♪ Yeah yeah you know I'm always on that cool ♪
♪ Walk to it do it how you do it ♪
♪ Have a glass lemme put you in the mood and ♪
♪ Lil' cutie lookin' like a student ♪
♪ Long hair with ya big fat booty ♪
♪ Back in the days you was a girl I went to school with ♪
♪ Had to tell your moms and sister to cool it ♪
♪ The girl wanna do it I just might do it ♪
♪ Here to walk with some pimp-pimp fluid ♪
♪ Mami don't worry I won't abuse it ♪
♪ Hurry up and finish so we can watch "Clueless" ♪
♪ I laugh at these when they ask who do this ♪
♪ But everybody know who girl that you is ♪
♪ Beautiful I just want you to know ♪
♪ You're my favorite girl ♪
♪ Beautiful I just want you to know ♪
♪ You're my favorite girl ♪
♪ When I see my baby boo I get foolish ♪
♪ Smack a that tries to pursue it ♪
♪ Homeboy she taken just move it ♪
♪ I asked you nicely don't make the Dogg lose it ♪
♪ We just keep the flow movin' ♪
♪ In a '64 me and baby boo cruisin' ♪
♪ Body rag interior blue and ♪
♪ Have them hydraulics squeakin' when we screwin' ♪
♪ Now she's yellin' hollerin' out "Snoop!" and ♪
♪ Hootin' hollerin' hollerin' hootin' ♪
♪ Black and beautiful you the one I'm choosin' ♪
♪ Hair long and black and curly like you're Cuban ♪
♪ Keep groovin' that's what we doin' ♪
♪ And we gon' be together until your moms move in ♪
♪ Oh yeah there's something about you ♪
♪ Beautiful I just want you to know ♪
♪ You're my favorite girl ♪
♪ Beautiful I just want you to know ♪
♪ You're my favorite girl ♪
♪ Oh yeah there's something about you ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ Yeah yeah yeah yeah ♪
♪ Said I just want you ♪
♪ To know that you are really special ♪
♪ Oh I ♪
- So, "Hey Lover" takes me way back to my youth,
growing up in Queens, being a Queens girl,
LL Cool J was everything.
And this song is how I imagine, like,
having my first crush would go.
I imagine him like just kind of creeping and watching me
and being like, "Ooh, yeah, her, that's it."
I just love how they fuse like hip hop world
with the R and B world at the time
when it was just such different lanes,
and putting it together
just added like a special edge to it.
So just the whole video in general,
the whole feeling of Queens being the backdrop
and then just fusing the different genres of music
and bringing it together.
But I love LL Cool J.
He is definitely one of Queens', you know, hometown heroes.
I remember meeting him several times,
growing up with my dad, you know,
they were performing and doing their thing
around the same time.
And I remember always seeing LL Cool J growing up,
always feeling like, "Oh, is that my dad?"
Just 'cause they had the similar style of dress
with the gold rope and the Adidas and the Kangols.
So like, it's definitely very special
and definitely very personal to me.
("Hey Lover")
♪ I've been watching you ♪
♪ For as long as I can remember ♪
♪ You are all a real man can need ♪
♪ And ever ask for ♪
♪ This is love ♪
♪ This is more than a crush ♪
♪ It was all up at Ruckers I saw you with your man ♪
♪ Smiling a coach bag in your hand ♪
♪ I was layin' in the coup with my hat turned back ♪
♪ We caught eyes for a moment and that was that ♪
♪ So I skated off as you strolled off ♪
♪ Looking at them legs they looked so soft ♪
♪ I gotta take ya from your man that's my mission ♪
♪ If his love is real he got to handle competition ♪
♪ You only knew him five months ♪
♪ Besides he drinks too much and smokes too many ♪
♪ And I've been workin' out every thinkin' 'bout you ♪
♪ Lookin' at my own eyes in the rear view ♪
♪ Catchin' flash backs of our eye contact ♪
♪ Wish I could lay ya on your stomach and caress your back ♪
♪ I would hold ya in my arms and ease your fears ♪
♪ I can't believe it I ain't had a crush in years ♪
♪ Hey lover ♪
♪ Hey lover hey lover this is more than a crush ♪
♪ Lover hey lover this is more than a crush ♪
♪ Hey lover hey lover this is more than a crush ♪
♪ I see you at the bus stop waitin' everyday ♪
♪ Your man must think it's safe for you to travel that way ♪
♪ And I don't wanna violate your relationship ♪
♪ So I lay back in the cut with a crush that's a trip ♪
♪ Still he can't stop me from having day dreams ♪
♪ Tonguing you down with vanilla ice cream ♪
♪ Kissing on your thighs in the moonlight ♪
♪ Searching your body with my tongue girl all night ♪
♪ I wonder one day could it be ♪
♪ Simple dreams can turn into reality ♪
♪ Our love would come down so naturally ♪
♪ We would walk down the aisle of destiny ♪
♪ What your man get his hustle on gotcha type scared ♪
♪ Break ya off a little chump change to do your hair ♪
♪ That seems to be enough to satisfy your needs ♪
♪ But there's a deeper level if you just follow ♪
- Okay guys, so that was "Hey Lover" by LL Cool J.
Now my next pick is one of my favorite artists of all time.
It is Beyonce and this is "7/11".
First of all, who doesn't love Beyonce?
That's first and foremost,
I'm definitely a member of the Beyhive.
So let's just say that.
First of all, the video was shot on an iPhone,
which I thought was so innovative.
Nobody was doing that at the time.
And it just had the vibe of like,
when you go on vacation with your girls, the room is a mess,
but you guys are just kicking back,
having the most amazing time.
It just gives you those vibes.
And it also reminds me of the time
when I had just had my daughter.
It was around that time, 2014,
and just gives me good feelings.
My daughter, to this day, this is one of her favorite songs.
That's what this video reminds me of.
Makes me miss hanging out with my girls.
("7/11")
♪ Shoulders sideways smack it smack it in the air ♪
♪ Legs movin' side to side smack it in the air ♪
♪ Shoulders sideways smack it smack it in the air ♪
♪ Smack it smack it in the air ♪
♪ Legs movin' side to side ♪
♪ Smack it smack it in the air ♪
♪ Wave ya hands side to side put it in the air ♪
♪ Clap clap clap like you don't care ♪
♪ Smack that clap clap clap like you don't care ♪
♪ I know you care ♪
♪ Clap clap clap clap clap it ♪
♪ Foot up my foot uphold up now my foot up ♪
♪ I'm spinnin' my foot up foot up yeah my foot up ♪
♪ I'm spinnin' my foot up put my foot down ♪
♪ Yeah my hands up ♪
♪ My hands up my hands up ♪
♪ Flexing while my hands up ♪
♪ My hands up my hands up ♪
♪ I stand up with my hands up ♪
♪ Then I put my hands up ♪
♪ I put up my hands up ♪
♪ I put up my hands up then I'm spinning while my hands up ♪
♪ Spinning while my hands up spinning while my hands up ♪
♪ Spinning while my hands up ♪
♪ Then I'm tipping on my hands up ♪
♪ Spinning I'm spinning I'm spinning while my hands up ♪
♪ I'm spinning I'm spinning while my hands up ♪
♪ Hold that cup like alcohol hold that cup like alcohol ♪
♪ Hold that cup like alcohol don't you drop that alcohol ♪
♪ Never drop that alcohol never drop that alcohol ♪
♪ I know you thinkin' 'bout alcohol ♪
♪ I know I'm thinkin' 'bout that alcohol ♪
♪ Man this feel like rollin' dice ♪
♪ Seven 11 seven 11 ♪
♪ Seven twice man seven twice ♪
♪ Man this feel like rollin' dice ♪
♪ Seven twice seven twice ♪
♪ Girl I'm tryna kick it with ya ♪
♪ Man I'm tryna kick with ya ♪
♪ My feet up I kick it with ya ♪
♪ Man I swear I kick it with ya ♪
- So my next pick is by Whitney Houston.
And this is "Dance With Somebody".
Whitney Houston, number one, is just an icon.
She is the voice, literally.
There's a reason that everyone calls her "The Voice",
because she is the voice.
And she's definitely been a soundtrack in my life,
growing up throughout the years.
Her music is iconic,
and this song just has such amazing 80 vibes
with the fashion, and you know,
it was like one of her first music videos,
and it's just, it's special,
and it's special and important to keep her legacy alive
because she is such a big part of Black History
and women in music and Black women in music,
and the barriers she broke.
So I had to include Whitney Houston, "The Voice".
Her dancing around like Cyndi Lauper,
like just the eighties vibe,
the fun dress with the scrunchies in her hair,
and the hairstyle, like,
it's just so authentically eighties.
And I'm a eighties baby, so, you know,
besides paying tribute to Whitney Houston,
we just have to pay tribute to that time,
because that's when, it's like the best era ever.
It's when I was born.
So, you know,
gotta go there and we gotta give an authentic feel
and this music video does just that.
("I Wanna Dance With Somebody")
♪ Huh yeah woo ♪
♪ Hey yeah huh ♪
♪ Ooh yeah uh huh yeah ♪
♪ I wanna dance ♪
♪ Clock strikes upon the hour ♪
♪ And the sun begins to fade ♪
♪ Still enough time to figure out ♪
♪ How to chase my blues away ♪
♪ I've done all right up 'til now ♪
♪ It's the light of day that shows me how ♪
♪ And when the night falls ♪
♪ Loneliness calls ♪
♪ Oh I wanna dance with somebody ♪
♪ I wanna feel the heat with somebody ♪
♪ Yeah I wanna dance with somebody ♪
♪ With somebody who loves me ♪
♪ Oh I wanna dance with somebody ♪
♪ I wanna feel the heat with somebody ♪
♪ Yeah I wanna dance with somebody ♪
♪ With somebody who loves me ♪
♪ I've been in love and lose my senses ♪
♪ Spinning through the town ♪
♪ Sooner or later the fever ends ♪
♪ And I wind up feeling down ♪
♪ I need a man who'll take a chance ♪
♪ On a love that burns hot enough to last ♪
♪ So when the night falls ♪
♪ My lonely heart calls ♪
♪ Oh I wanna dance with somebody ♪
♪ I wanna feel the heat with somebody ♪
♪ Yeah I wanna dance with somebody ♪
♪ With somebody who loves me ♪
♪ Oh I wanna dance with somebody ♪
♪ I wanna feel the heat ♪
♪ Yeah I wanna dance with somebody ♪
♪ With somebody who loves me ♪
♪ Somebody who somebody ♪
- And that was Whitney Houston's "Dance With Somebody".
So last, but certainly not least
is one of my favorite videos of all times.
'Cause I'm in it.
It's Run-DMC, "Let's Stay Together",
AKA "Together Forever".
So Run-DMC "Together Forever" is such a special video to me,
first and foremost, I am so proud of my dad.
And so proud of the work he's done with Run-DMC
and how he's been a pioneer in the hip hop space.
Like, that's incredible.
But this video is very special
because cause we got to shoot it with all of my siblings,
which was fun.
And it's just like a timestamp for that time.
I was about 15 or 16 years old.
I remember the day when it premiered on "106 & Park".
I remember taking the day off for school to film the video.
And I just feel like it was a prelude to what was to come.
It was years and years before we shot "Run's House".
And it really like showed my family authentically as we are,
that we have Rusty in there running around
with his underwear on, he was, like a baby at the time,
maybe three years old,
I was so obsessed with Jagged Edge,
and still such a huge fan of theirs.
And it was exciting at the time,
I was 15, 16 years old,
getting to meet them and work with them.
I got to keep the iceberg sweatsuit, which was epic.
It's the scene where I'm like cooking the lasagna
with my mom and my sister.
I remember getting to take that home and wear it to school.
Like, you could not tell me
I wasn't the coolest 11th grader ever
after being in that video.
And it just gives me good feelings, you know, the song,
the messaging behind the song,
and then just being able to be a part of that
with my siblings and have this piece of history
for forever, you know, on video, is special.
And this is so good.
One of my favorites of all times, hope you guys enjoy it.
("Together Forever")
♪ Let's ♪
♪ DMC my man ♪
♪ In the place to be ♪
♪ Yo this song is dedicated ♪
♪ To all of those that's been down with each other ♪
♪ Since day one ♪
♪ Let's keep it together ♪
♪ Now we been all around the world ♪
♪ From the corner of the block ♪
♪ To the top of the world and back ♪
♪ Put a Roley on the ave ain't nobody ever have ♪
♪ And a brand new jet black Cadillac ♪
♪ You been down since day one and no matter where I go ♪
♪ People wanna see you next to me ♪
♪ They say what's up with D ♪
♪ I used to jam all across the land the Coliseum even MSG ♪
♪ When raise hell quick as hell in the shells ♪
♪ And then bust your tail after every show ♪
♪ We were just giving the mike living the life ♪
♪ Of MTV and the radio ♪
♪ And so you J and me since '83 ♪
♪ Been living and sticking together like a family ♪
♪ And no matter what the rumors be ♪
♪ It's guaranteed that I'm for you and you for me ♪
♪ So let's ♪
♪ Let's stay together ♪
♪ Loving you whether ♪
♪ Whether ♪
♪ Times are good or bad happy or sad ♪
♪ Yo now I'm up on the mike ♪
♪ Can't touch my love for my wife ♪
♪ Baby I ain't going nowhere ♪
♪ Especially the way you smile when you have my child ♪
♪ And when I rock the crowd can't wait to be right there ♪
♪ Even my kids that ain't your still yours ♪
♪ 'Cause you love 'em and you treat 'em like your very own ♪
♪ We be holding hands and I be holding doors ♪
♪ And with my mother-in-law spend time alone ♪
♪ Call about 500 times a day ♪
♪ When I'm off and gone 'cause I'm on the road ♪
♪ And when I'm on the phone you know I wanna be home ♪
♪ 'Cause that's the one and only spot where I really belong ♪
♪ You know I love calling you the preacher's wife ♪
♪ With the keys to the Bentley living it up ♪
♪ And everybody would know done seen us in the video ♪
♪ On the dance floor straight cutting it up ♪
- Thank you guys so much for hanging out with me.
That was so much fun going down memory lane
and sharing some of my all-time favorite music videos
with you guys, I hope you enjoyed it.
(smooches)
(upbeat hip hop music)