Fat Joe ft. Lil' Wayne: Make the Cliches Stop!

While I appreciate how Fat Joe has chosen to embrace Southern rap themes, when I watch his latest "Make It Rain" video, why is it I seem to be detecting faint whiffs of desperation? I'm thinking part of the problem could be the news about his recent label woes, or maybe it's that it feels like whoever put this video together went down a checklist of rap-video must-haves and forgetting the credo that less is more, proceeded to cram every rap stereotypes known to humankind into one three-minute song.


^^Repeated images of rappers counting or throwing money...check!


^^Closeup of rapper's diamond jewelry while counting money...check!


^^At least three jiggling, bikini-clad girls (dance skills not mandatory)...check!


^^Close-up of bikini-clad girl with fake boobies covered in oil...check!


^^Closeup of rapper and bikini-clad girl flashing over-sized medallions...check!


^^Bikini-clad girls featured in close proximity to expensive red sports car...check!


^^Closeup of fancy kicks positioned on top of a pile of money....check!


^^Closeup of more fancy kicks...check!


^^Cheap Farnsworth knock-off to block rain...check!

Note: I left out the Yankee fitted Joe is wearing, because, after all, he does live in New York and has a legitimate claim to that, but seriously, taken as a whole the imagery in this video is so borderline cartoonish that if all of its compenents were featured on, say, a a TV drama about a rap artist, people would complain about the stereotypical nature of the portrayal.