The first single from the return of Bashy arrives with an outstanding video directed by George Power, combining a range of techniques, including a palette of animation styles, to illustrate the rapper's reflections on growing up in North West London.Power's video for Sweet Boys Turn Sour combines live action - both Bashy (aka Ashley Thomas) performing, and also the dramatisation of his younger 'sweet boy' self - with 2D, scribble animation and claymation - to add a visual flourish to the grime star's autobiographical story, without distracting from the message.Since his debut album came out fifteen years ago, Ashley Thomas has gone to acting fame (including Top Boy, THEM and Great Expectations). This video for the first single from his second album, Being Poor Is Expensive, was shot around Combe House on the Brunel Estate, where he lived during his formative years. The various styles of animation employed by George Power are all deceptively innnocent and fun, before revealing their darker purpose: the main two dimensional cartoon character becomes a demon who personifies the bad stuff in the local area; claymation blobs morph into guns and knives. Power also adds montages of photos of the real Thomas as a child, and his transformation into a tough 'sour' youth in his teens.A powerful complement to Sweet Boys Turn Sour, also helping to focus upon the questions around the relative influence of surroundings and upbringing that are raised by the artist in the song.

Charlie Sarsfield directs an intense, mostly black & white promo for rapper Jordy's collab with JME.Split between the artists' performances, the powerful video for Wonderkid uses old CRT TV screens and backdrops to add visual intrigue, transcending the studio environment to create something artful and fresh - featuring a cameo from Jordy's younger brother.It's a well structured visual for two powerhouse artists, imbued with Sarfield's confident direction and visual style, and nicely shot by DoP Courtney Bennett. It benefits from restraint, in getting the most from a few strong set-ups. “The visual is all about perspective," Sarsfield explains. "I wanted to create a visually intriguing backdrop to stage the performance of Jordy and JME, causing the viewer to question what was and wasn’t really there."We tried out some experimental techniques on set to create the subtle illusions you see, and both artists were a joy to work with throughout. Very glad to be a part of this one.”

Nicholas Lam returns to music videos with an R-rated cyberpunk anime western, where Samurai meets Cowboy, for J Hus featuring CB - and it's a stunning feat.The video for Cream stars the two rappers as anime swordsmen, fighting their way through a dystopian future full of shadowy organisations and super-villains. Lam worked with two talented animation teams - Tier S in Serbia and Point Five Creations in Taiwan - and the result is a riotous, ultraviolent actioner, with an impressive dramatic build and superb animation work. From dynamic fight scenes through to imaginative world-building, the video is an early highlight of the year.Perhaps one of the most ambitious music videos of recent times, in fact. A must-watch, which leaves a lasting impression.

Following their superb collab on How Did I Get So Calm, Oliver Jennings reunites with Dizzee Rascal to create a punchy video inspired by the early days of grime for his latest release What You Know About That.Featuring UK rap legends D Double E and JME, the video pays homage to the style, camera moves and nuance of iconic early grime videos - as Dizzee and guests reminisce about the old days - but reimagined for the future.Boasting multi-format visual setups (with plenty of grainy, early 2000's vibes), the video is a clash of past and present, presenting as an anachronistic visual mashup of the years Dizzy has been making music. Slickly executed with a perfect balance between slick studio footage and BTS-style setups, the video is a whirlwind of performance and technology - and impossible to tear your eyes away from.