In a new biweekly feature, we're inviting Minnesota artists to step in and choose five local music videos (including one of their own) that they're loving right now. Our first curator is MMYYKK, a multitalented artist who's a member of astralblak and has recently released a solo EP called Science.

BLOOD $MOKE BODY, "OSAY"

First of all, let me just say I LOVE these guys. I’ve worked with Nazeem and Spencer in the past and have been following their growth and it has been exponential! Now as BLOOD $MOKE BODY they are really carving their own lane and it is dope to see! As far as this video I love the color and texture with the vintage Super 16 anamorphic homages. I love the cinematography & editing, it's really a complete package. This is what you get when you have artists who can also produce all their own content in-house. **chef’s kiss**

Mac Irv, "Money On My Mind"

Mac Irv is someone I highly respect locally. I have also worked with him in the past on video projects and he is another one of those artists who has a vision and knows how to execute. On this one, I love the look and texture but I also appreciate how the story is woven through the editing. I dig how the cyclical nature of the way money moves is really captured here literally in the way the video ends where it began.

Dua Saleh ft. Amaarae, "fitt"

Witnessing Dua’s rise to stardom has given me so much joy! I’ve been a fan and supporter of Dua since before the music when they were doing a lot of activism and work in the community. Dua is a true artist and revolutionary and I’m so glad the world is coming to find out! This visual is just all around FIRE. I love the cinematography and lighting design, the cosmic vibe, and the seamless integration of the animation. Just bathing in the salacious Afrofuture vibes. RISE DUA!!

Dizzy Fae, "Body Move"

Dizzy Fae came onto my radar in 2016 through a mutual friend we were doing music with and I’ve been following her ever since. She has a lot of great videos but this one is my favorite because of her approach. I feel like with this song, the video could easily have been something that was overtly sexual. But she went the other way with it and did something that was funny, nostalgic, and cute. I dig that.

MMYYKK, "Divine"

So this was actually my first music video personally, and it was a really fun and rewarding experience. Because this song was made in appreciation of Black women it was important to me to have a Black woman direct the video. So I asked my good friend and collaborator Vie Boheme to come in and bring her vision to the project. She is also an amazing artist, dancer, vocalist with a really powerful vision so I knew whatever she brought it would be dope. Since I am also a filmmaker and video production professional, I wore the cinematographer, and editor hats and followed her lead on the direction. We had a couple of dreaming sessions where we both talked about our visions and how we wanted to be represented and articulate our ideas. From there we came up with a plan for the production and the rest is history! Here are a few words from Vie about her process and approach for this video:

As Black women, we are super in our power simply living and being. "Divine" is a visual example of that simplicity in everyday life. We live in a world that requires Black women to be superhuman at all times. The video for "Divine" acknowledges that us simply being us is enough.