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The days of big budget videos are long gone! That is unless you are Birdman, of course! The Cash Money billionaire spared no expensive to shoot his latest single “Tap Out.” His ostentatious spending reminds us of a time when record labels actually invested millions of dollars into their artists’ visuals. What say you? shall we take a trip down memory lane to reminisce on the most expensive videos ever created. I say yes!

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1. 9. Sisqo- “Thong Song”

You wouldn’t believe a pair of strings tied together to create a thong would have production value totaling $1 million. Sisqo’s “Thong Song” video was well worth it! Sike. They could have promised a couple of hood chicks camera time and paid a quarter of that amount!

2. 8. TLC- “Unpretty”

At the crux of TLC’s career, they were the biggest girl group ever. It’s no wonder the label didn’t mind shelling out $1.6 million to create visuals to match their inspirational song “Unpretty.”

3. 7. Celine Dion- “It’s All Coming Back To Me”

In 1996, Celine Dion’s dramatic ballad about lost love, “It’s All Coming Back To Me,” was a massive hit and needed a video just as stunning to accompany the platinum single. The Nigel Dick-directed clip came with a $2 million price tag.

4. 5. Busta Rhymes Ft. Janet Jackson- “What’s It Gonna Be”

Busta Rhymes proved the industry wasn’t all the way dead (yet) with the release of his music video “What’s It Gonna Be” worth $2.4 million. That must be how much it costs to make Janet Jackson rain from your fingertips!

5. 4. Mariah Carey Ft. Jay-Z “Heartbreaker”

Mariah Carey’s 1999 banger “Heartbreaker” cost a whopping $2.5 million to produce. It could be the movie theater they had to rent to assure there were no unwanted extras or that famous fight scene featuring Mariah Vs. Mariah!

6. 3. MC Hammer- “Too Legit”

The only legit thing about MC Hammer was his label’s bank statement after shooting the visuals to accompany his upbeat dance track “Too Legit.” $2.5 million later, the “Too Legit” video was a hit–but probably because James Brown was in it!

7. 2. Madonna- “Die Another Day”

Count on Madonna to break the bank so she can channel her inner James Bond! Marge’s video, which also was the theme song to the 2002 film, “Die Another Day” cost a reported $6 million to make!

8. 1. Michael Jackson Ft. Janet Jackson- “Scream”

When Michael Jackson’s, then, label saw the bill for his futuristic clip “Scream” they probably did exactly what the song makes you do and screamed! $7 million is what it took to for Michael to be able to walk on walls!

For 2024’s iteration of MadameNoire and HelloBeautiful’s annual series Women to Know, we knew we wanted to celebrate the people who help make the joys of film and television possible. To create art is to create magic. This year, we spotlight Hollywood Executive’s changing the face of cinema.