The Nonce -- "Mix Tapes"

These guys don't get a ton of points for putting together a creative video, but this has got to be one of the 10 best beat-drop songs. What does that mean? It means when the beat drops you get hit with this wave of euphoria. Dead Prez's "Hip Hop" and Souls of Mischief's "93 Til Infinity" come to mind as other examples.

Raekwon -- "Ice Cream"

"Bon bons, and all that good stuff." This video is a bonafide horn of plenty -- classic song, lots of goofy Chef-isms, an awkward verse from Cappadonna (is he still driving a cab in Baltimore?), Method Man's immortal hook, bronzed hair and gold doorknockers. It could also be exhibit A in a case my friend has made to me several times about how video girls today are much whiter and more glamorous than the around-the-way girls you see in Ice Cream.

R Kelly -- "Step in the Name of Love"

It's the Piper! I've been leaning hard on the rap music that hardcore heads prefer, and that just ain't fair for all the steppers out there! Watch that fat bald man move. Grown and sexy!

Fugees -- "Cowboys"

A movie within a video. Who ever said the Fugees weren't luminaries. That, of course, and the Far East rice paddy hats. Another great Western touch.

Kool Moe Dee -- "Wild Wild West"

Everybody in the Wild Wild West wore sunglasses just like that. Some even wore biker shorts and snap bracelets.

Sadat X -- "Hang em High"

Sadat X, looking like Dave Chapelle, rolling up to the old west saloon in his black Expedition.

Heltah Skeltah -- "Operation Lockdown"

Cowboys and indians week continues with this baffling video from Ruck and Rock. Great song, and I won't complain about getting treated to images of Buckshot in a feather headdress and Ruck cooking chicken feet over an open flame, but I'm not sure what it has to do with keeping things locked down.

Juice Crew -- "Symphony"

I'm starting off cowboys and indians week with Symphony. A common trait among these Western-themed videos is that there are no Western themes whatsoever in the songs, and the Symphony is a prime example of that. Of course, someone could argue that the battle rhymes Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane are spitting are like gunfights in the wild west, but that's a reach and we all know it. I especially like how Big Daddy Kane seems to have refused the goofy western theme altogether, instead opting to rock all black and the stunning receding hairline with high-top fade combo.

The Dove Shack -- "Summertime in the LBC"

There was a time when I despised The Dove Shack. I'm still not sure what they do. Can't really sing. Can't rap for beans. But when you hear that high-pitched whine on the beat, it's hard to complain. I also like how a song with a slow beat like this used to be acceptable for dancing back in 1990s. Just sway back and forth to that G-Funk sound. Now, it's gotta be 100 bpm, getting your ass all sweaty, everybody trying to show out like Justin Timberlake.

Ghostface Killah -- "Apollo Kids"

Ghostface at his zaniest. "My rap is like ziti!" This song is like the 'Finnegan's Wake' of rap music. It makes no sense, but it's fun to repeat out loud. Not sure Tony Starks deserves the Joycean comparison, however. In rap's analogue to the literary canon, Ghost is probably down there with Neil Gaiman.

Gravediggaz -- "1-800 Suicide"

Granted, it's not the version where Rza suggests a couple dozen creative ways to off oneself, but it's undoubtedly a step up from "We Love you Rakeem," and the beat is one for the ages. "Confront a alligator let it eat you raw!" I would also be remiss if I failed to mention the scenes from Tales from the Crypt's "Demon Knight" in the video. This version of the song was on the Soundtrack.

Blahzay Blahzay -- "Danger"

Brooklyn's illest one-hit wonders.

Ahmad -- "Back in the Day"

On the real. When it comes to one-hit wonders, this is the best. Ahmad's career was nothing before and after this video. But it doesn't change the fact that this song is one of the best ever.

"Action" -- Terror Fabulous w/ Nadine Sutherland

Aside from the song's merits, Mr. Terror Fabulous gets brownie points for sporting a vintage collection of strangely patterned mid-90s polo shirts.

Push it Real Good

This video is good, but the scene where John Ritter dances to this in Stay Tuned while sex offender Jeffrey Jones chases him through a maze of hip hop dancers.