Back when Hype Williams was cranking out million dollar clips on a regular basis, BET and MTV essentially served as the minor leagues for thirst trapping video vixens.
The only thing better than finding the next Melyssa Ford was landing a movie star cameo. With music budgets cut, those two things still hold true and these 15 A-list music video cameos are classic examples.
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Photo: VEVO/YouTube Screen Capture
Tracee Ellis Ross and Nia Long – “Touch The Sky”
In what now looks like a case of foreshadowing, Kanye broke up with a high-profile sister to get into an even high profile interracial relationship in the “Touch The Sky” video. And Tracee Ellis Ross gets bonus points for showcasing the legendary donk.
Drake – “Anaconda”
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Seeing Drizzy and Nicki together is nothing new, but this wasn’t a duet. Nicki put her pimp hand down by using him as a male video vixen who couldn’t deal with the force of her buxom backside.
Mads Mikkelsen – “B***h Better Have My Money”
Given that odds were pretty good to see Mads Mikkelsen dismember someone on a weekly basis in his role as Hannibal Lecter, it’s crazy that Rihanna turned the tables on him.
Iman and Eddie Murphy – “Remember The Time”
Napoleon could allegedly blow the nose off the Sphinx but we all know who built the pyramids at Giza. For all his eccentricities, Michael Jackson nailed the casting in his “Remember The Time” video by securing cameos from Eddie Murphy, Iman, and Magic Johnson.
Scarlett Johansson – “What Goes Around”
There were rumors that J.T. knocked down Scar-Jo to help himself get over Britney Spears cheating on him with a background dancer. It’s always good when you can mix business, revenge, and pleasure.
Jennifer Lopez – “That’s The Way Love Goes”
You can pretty much see the trajectory of J-Lo’s career taking off in Janet Jackson’s video for “That’s The Way Love Goes.” She’d already made the jump from In Living Color to one of Janet’s backup dancers/video extras.
Meagan Good and Serena Williams – “Do My…”
While this was Memphis Bleek’s video, all you probably remember is how “Do My…” made it painfully clear that it was appropriate to thirst after both Serena Williams and Meagan Good. If you’re a WNBA fan, Lisa Leslie is also one of the many cameos here.
Eva Mendes – “Miami”
We should all be so lucky to have a beautiful woman like Eva Mendes saying, “Bienvenidos a Miami” the way Will Smith did in his “Miami” video. This was when it became clear Eva was crossing over from struggle acting roles into bigger things.
Kathy Griffin – “The Real Slim Shady”
For someone who laments a life on the D-list, Kathy Griffin rakes in the dough and lands A-list cameos such as the nutty nurse in Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady.”
Ben Stiller – “Bad Boy For Life”
There goes the neighborhood. You know a video is star powered when Ben Stiller’s cameo is kind of overshadowed by Dave Navarro, LFO, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Shaq, and Pat O’Brien.
Ben Affleck – “Jenny From The Block”
Things came full circle for J-Lo as she went from an extra to the A-list and turned her A-list fiancée Ben Affleck into window dressing for her “Jenny From The Block” video.
Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. – “Show Me What You Got”
Jigga pulled out all the stops with the star-studded “Show Me What You Got” video featuring Jarah Mariano, Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Barry Bonds – “Get Like Me”
As if enlisting Chris Brown and Yung Joc wasn’t enough, David Banner pulled a cameo from MLB MVP Barry Bonds for his “Get Like Me” video.
Ron Howard, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Samuel L. Jackson – “Blame It”
It’s safe to say you won’t see Jamie Foxx, Ron Howard, Jake Gyllenhaal, Quincy Jones, and Samuel L. Jackson all together again. Bonus points for Morris Chestnut, Cedric The Entertainer, Jalen Rose, and at least another dozen A-listers popping up in the vid for “Blame It.”
Steve Stoute – “The Don”
Why would the head of the advertising agency that secured the Bud Light Platinum Super Bowl ad campaign be making a random cameo in a Rap video? It’s probably because Steve Stoue and Nas go back to their days at Sony working on both It Was Written and I Am.
