ABSOLUT Vodka presents “NY-Z”, a new 15-minute documentary featuring Jay-Z. The film was directed by Danny Clinch.

Continuing to collaborate with creative visionaries, ABSOLUT Vodka presents this new 15-minute short film featuring Jay-Z. The documentary, titled NY-Z, was directed by Danny Clinch and paints a rare portrait of the global hip-hop icon. With unprecedented access to Jay-Z the days and moments leading up to, and after, his legendary September 11th benefit concert at Madison Square Garden, Danny Clinch gives us an intimate glimpse into Jay-Z: his childhood, his motivation as an artist, his passion for music, and his muse, New York.

Kanye West continues to release singles from his 2008 808s & Heartbreak album with this video for track 11 – Coldest Winter. Reuniting to work together again, Kanye and Nabil elderkin have produced a music video that is fitting for the song’s lyrics and mood. The CG uses a Frank Miller comic style to produce a haunting world of dead trees, fog and snow. The smoke effect of the girl’s face is particularly impressive (00:15).

Vimeo has issued their top 25 films of 2009 which includes the above music video for British alternative electro group Cinnamon Chasers.

Despite being a music video for a song, the audience quickly forgets as the storytelling takes hold. Shot on a Canon 5D Mark II, with a custom face-mounted rig for a first-person view, the video plays out a butterfly effect scenario of three variations of the journey a couple take together after meeting at a gas station. All three versions end badly.

Jarbas Agnelli saw a picture of birds sitting on overhead electric wires, and, being the music man that he is, instantly saw their resemblance to music notes on a page. He cut the picture out and used the exact location of the birds as musical notes to compose an actual song. The result is pretty amazing, considering he could have chosen any tempo and bunched the notes together in any combination. The song cycles through the notes three times, each time new sounds and instruments are added to almost mirror the process he probably took in the studio. Great job.

Back in 2003 a new style of music started to flourish in the East End of London. It came off the back of the UK Garage scene and was pioneered by the artist Wiley. Six years on and it has grown and evolved into a widely accepted music genre, entitled Grime, and Wiley, now dubbed ‘The Godfather of Grime’, has enjoyed mainstream success. Look out for a young Kano (02:22), and a very very very young Tinchy Stryder (03:04).