Can't Deny It - Fabolous (August 2001)

This video was an MTV Buzzclip when it first came out (which lead to round-the-clock rotation on the music channel), and gave up-and-coming rapper Fabolous instant popularity.  The video features the rapper, guest Nate Dogg, and several dancers & models performing against vibrant, familiar graphic backgrounds including the stars & stripes of the American flag and a "Coca-Cola"-inspired red & white stripe.  This video showcases X's style of minimal use of strong colors in the set to enhance the look of a video.  The video also featured a block-editing style, used in several of his other videos around that time, which consisted of transition between scenes in block-segments, which were edited to the beat of the track.

Cherchez La Ghost - Ghostface Killah (April 2000)

This video, shot at the Presidential Suite in the Parker Meridian hotel in New York City, features a morning-to-night party with Ghostface Killah, a few friends, and several gorgeous models.  The video starts off with the sunrise, as everyone wakes up from their sleep, and follows as they have breakfast, take a swim in the hotel pool, and party through the night along the corridors and hotel rooms.  Color and lighting is used to set the mood in the video, with bright colors during the day, and deep red & green tints used in the night party scenes.  My personal favorite scenes are in the beginning of the video, where the sleeping partiers are shot at irregular angles, sprawled across the floor (see image above).

The Color of Love - Boyz II Men (May 2002)

Little X organized this groundbreaking video, which marked the first time that 4 high-profile directors co-directed one single video.  Each of the directors directed one member of Boyz II Men in a different exotic locale: Hype Williams shot Shawn Stockman in Japan; Chris Robinson shot Wanya Morris in Puerto Rico; Benny Boom & Little X shot in Nathan Morris Ghana, and Little X shot Michael McCary in India.  X edited the segments together, as well as shot the finale of the video, which brings all four members of the group back to New York City to unite in front of the World Trade Centre twin beams of light memorial.  A fitting tribute to post-911 New York City.

Georgy Porgy - Eric Benet feat.        Faith Evans (March 1999)

This video is certainly one of Little X's most interesting conceptual videos.  The video contains none of X's signature flashy sets and models.  Eric Benet walks away after arguing with his girlfriend at a strip-mall.  However, as he steps out onto the parking lot, he is hit by a car.  From that moment on, the video runs in ultra slow motion as we witness Benet flying through the air, the girlfriend turn around and react to the collision, and the patrons of the strip mall react to the accident outside.  The only thing running in real-time is Benet & Faith Evans performing on television monitors through an electronics store window, as the girlfriend runs to Benet's aid.

Gimme The Light - Sean Paul (July 2002)

Little X has been credited for giving relatively unknown artists wide exposure by directing their first videos (see Fabolous, above).  A Little X-directed video almost guarantees regular airplay on North American music channels.  Sean Paul's Gimme The Light was no exception.  The dance-heavy video featured Paul performing under a massive glowing structure and on a glowing walkway.  The contrast between the glowing white structures against the black background and the crowds of Jamaican-style dancers & models perfectly accompanied the upbeat track, and instantly made both Sean Paul and the track hits of Summer 2002.

Hot In Herre - Nelly (June 2002)

Little X was responsible for another massive hit during the Summer of 2002 (see Sean Paul, left).  The original version of the video was computer graphics-heavy, and did not fit the track well.  Little X was asked to direct another version of the video, which was set in a Los Angeles club.  The video features a lot of vibrant and contrasting colors: pinks, oranges, blues.  And with a chorus that goes "It's getting hot in herre, so take off all your clothes" what is a video director to do?  Everyone at the club takes it off half way through the video.  It gets so hot that even the fire sprinklers go off.  Due partly to the video, the track becomes THE party song of the summer.

I'll Be Dat - Redman (1998)

Humor also plays a big role in several Little X videos.  An early example of this was 1998's I'll Be Dat by Redman.  The video starts off with Redman plopping himself down on a couch to watch television.  What follows is a series of segments that parody everything from cereal commercials to fitness programs.  Some segments include: Reggies Secret (parody of the Victoria's Secret angels commercial) and Redman Cola (the people in the commercial spew out the beverage in disguist after drinking).  The best part of the video: an interlude where Reggie & his friends stare in awe at a pretty girl riding her bike across the street, only to watch her get distracted and smash into a parked car.

Let's Get It - G-Dep ft. Puff Daddy      & Black Rob (March 2001)

This is another video that uses a simple set with minimal colors.  G-Dep, Puffy, and Black Rob rap against simple black & white sets.  The sets include thick black stripes running across the wall & floor, and extension of the black stripe theme into several black abstract structures.  X shoots the rappers in relation to the structures & background at unique angles, creating interesting perspective and giving the video depth.  What makes the video more interesting is the inclusion of several young children dancing to the song, which adds a whimsical touch to the video.  Other details include shots using visual references to the lyrics, like "fish & spaghetti" and "f*** city permits" (Puffy rips up a city permit).

Northern Touch - The Rascalz feat. Checkmate, Choclair, Thrust, etc.

Since Little X got his start doing videos for Canadian artists, I felt it necessary that I include at least one Canadian video on the list.  This video is for a track considered by many to be the most significant rap song in Canadian hip-hop history, at the time.  The track is by Canadian rap group The Rascalz, and features cameos from all the major players in the Canadian rap scene, including Checkmate, Choclair, Thrust, and Kardinal Offishall.  The video is very minimal and stripped down, featuring each rapper rapping against plain colored backgrounds, intercut with shots of break dancing.

Shake That Ass - Mystikal (August 2000)

I had the opportunity of hearing Little X speak at a symposium a few years ago, and one of the questions asked was how he could justify having semi-clothed women shaking their booties in his videos.  He explained that as a video director, he had to deliver to the record companies what the public wants, and obviously sex sells.  But rather than aimlessly putting girls' booties in videos, he wanted to give context to their roles, and convey more than just sex.  The example he used was this Mystikal video, which is influenced by the Sydney Kubrick film "Eyes Wide Shut".  He made a video based on a film that much of the video's target audience would probably be unfamiliar with.  Using such unfamiliar references could influence them to expand out and inquire about other genres and cultures.