Top 10 Most Controversial Music Videos

What makes a good music video? Blasphemy? Sex? Drugs? Violence? These featured artists weren’t afraid to stir up trouble and take some risks, though some of them probably shouldn’t have. Take some time to check out the uncensored music videos below — just make sure you’re not in public.

 

10. “I’m a Slave 4 U” – Britney Spears

This steamy video caused a stir among parents of young fans. It showed a sweat-drenched Britney writhing around sexily as her dancers surround her, breathing heavily. One of them even licks her. This solidified Britney’s transformation from girl-next-door to sex icon.

 

9. “Alejandro” – Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga caused a stir due to blasphemous imagery in this video, which portrayed Gaga dressed in a latex nun’s habit while swallowing a rosary, prompting Katy Perry to tweet  (though not mentioning Gaga’s name): “Using blasphemy as entertainment is as cheap as a comedian telling fart jokes.” Ouch.

 

8. “Monster” – Kanye West Feat. Jay Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj. and Bon Iver

Another artist known for bold statements, this Kanye West video was damned by critics for being both misogynistic and disturbing. People were outraged over the portrayal of dead and dismembered models. Kanye fought back, saying “it is an art piece and it shall be taken as such.”

 

7. “Dirrty” – Christina Aguilera feat. Redman

The name says it all: this video is “dirrty.” It has everything from mud wrestlers and “furries” to Thai sex-tourism posters and X-Tina in a bikini and assless chaps. After its release, music stations had to air a warning before playing it due to its extremely sexual content.

 

6. “Stan” – Eminem feat. Dido

This video is told through the letters of a crazed Eminem fan who gets increasingly upset when his idol doesn’t respond to him. It becomes clear that he has a scary obsession; he even goes so far as to tie up his pregnant girlfriend and put her in the trunk of his car, which he eventually drives off a bridge. A heavily-censored version of the video aired on music stations.

 

5. “Cocoon” – Björk

This video features a naked Björk dancing around with strings coming out of her nipples before wrapping herself in a cocoon. For Björk? Completely normal. For us? Too much. It was banned from airing on prime-time TV for obvious reasons.

 

4. “Born Free” – M.I.A.

Two words: Ginger genocide. People didn’t take too kindly to redheads being rounded up and killed, regardless of what message M.I.A was trying to send. Though many applauded the singer’s creative and unapologetic vision, the graphic subject matter lead to the nine-minute video being banned from YouTube.

 

3. “Justify My Love” – Madonna

This list could’ve easily been composed solely of Madonna videos: “Erotica,” “Like A Prayer,” “American Life,”  she’s definitely not afraid of controversy. Like several of her videos, this one was banned from airing on MTV due to its nudity and highly-sexual themes, including sadomasochism, voyeurism, and scenes of Madonna with another woman.

 

2. “Smack My B*tch Up” – The Prodigy

This first-person perspective video portrays someone’s wild night out , which consists of snorting cocaine, visiting a strip club, drunk driving, and having sex with a stripper. At the end of the video, the protagonist is finally revealed: it’s a woman. Surprise! It was banned from TV in most countries, but due to massive demand, finally found its way onto late-night music shows.

 

1. (s)AINT – Marilyn Manson

Where to start with this video. Full-frontal nudity, oral sex, bondage, drug use —  Manson snorts cocaine off a Bible and uses a rosary to shoot heroin —  masturbation, self-harm, the list goes on. Marilyn Manson is known to be shocking, but this might go too far.

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