Will.i.am’s Video for “T.H.E (The Hardest Ever)” Emulates Effects From Taking Ecstasy

Will.i.am’s video for latest single “T.H.E (The Hardest Ever)” has just debuted. The track features Jennifer Lopez and Mick Jagger. The single comes off will.i.am’s solo album #willpower, which will be released early next year.

The futuristic video traces will.i.am as he overcomes increasingly difficult obstacles. Each time he overcomes an obstacle, he gains more speed with an upgraded, kick-ass method of transportation. Will.i.am starts off by running on a concrete runway and then eventually cruises space in an über cool spaceship. To me, the video is like a mixture between Star Trek and Tron with some Storm Trooper flair.

Jennifer Lopez steams up the video with her skin-tight outfits and curvaceous body, while Mick Jagger shows off the famous moves that Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera rave about in their hit single “Moves Like Jagger.”

I really don’t like will.i.am’s singing  the song, but with the song’s increasing radio airplay, I think I’m bound to start singing along in the car at some point. Will.i.am was smart to collaborate with Lopez and Jagger, bringing in two different genres of music, latin hip-hop/rnb and rock, to his heavy electro hop beats. I think Lopez’s and Jagger’s vocals actually sound really great compared to will.i.am’s.

Has anyone else noticed that a lot of music videos have been using what I like to call the “rolling effect” lately? To me, this video clearly emulates the experience between first taking the drug ecstasy aka E or XTC or X and then the euphoric feelings felt after. In this video, this is shown through the increasing speed will.iam attains as he uses faster methods of transportation, and then the trippy, intergalactic visuals shown towards the end of the video. Avicii’s “Levels” emulates the same experience as well.

I guess the overused apocalyptic, end of the world theme in music videos is starting to fade out and now the “rolling effect” is starting to take over. Don’t get me wrong, I think the “rolling effect” creates interesting videos, I just don’t like or approve of the reference for this new trend in music videos.

On a last note, I hope Mick Jagger was paid a lot of money for his contribution to this video. Between me and you, Mick, you could do better. Just saying. I’ll forgive you this one time, just don’t pull something like this again.

Check out the video below. What do you think?