Ah, 2013 was good for the beautiful creature that is the music video. From big budget studio productions to creatively bootstrapped independent visuals, the year provided a bumper harvest. And with the magic of youtube channel subscriptions, music videos became ever more accessible. The incredible pace of production made it nearly overwhelming to keep up, but we were able to cope and now present to you the top videos of 2013.

Undoubtedly one of the songs of the year, “Khona” marked the comeback of kwaito group Mafikizolo and features the rising stars of South African dance, Vintage Cru, who we recently interviewed:

Creative, stylish and clever, Nigerian Temi Dollface delivered to us her “Pata Pata”:

Takeifa, a genre-defying band of siblings from Senegal, rocked us with “Supporter”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kHLb5SkDe8&feature=youtu.be

Alec Lomami, child of the DR Congo now living in Cape Town, was joined by Sammus and Badi Banx for his video game-inspired “C’est La Vie (CLV)”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svPyXY1OZ2c&feature=youtu.be

Ethiopian-Israeli Ester Rada melded her smooth vocals with ethio-jazz to create “Life Happens”:

Always on point, though especially so in 2013, the brilliant mind of Rwandan-Belgian Stromae brought us the sentimental masterpiece “Papaoutai”:

EL got spiritual with M.anifest in the desert for the gorgeously silhouetted “Hallelujah”

Sinkane, with his Sudanese roots, turned up the heat in his ethereal, kaleidoscopic, entrancing song “Warm Spell”:

Gael Faye shows just how effervescent Bujumbura, Burundi can be in “Bouge a Buja”:

Singer Yegna, with the help of Haile Roots gives us a peek into colorful world of popular Ethiopian music with “Abet”

Honorable mentions:

Lindiwe Suttle – “Kamikaze Art”
Daara J Family – “Celebrate”
Iyadede – “Not the Same” 
Jojo Abot – “Hex”
Zwart Licht – “Vanaf Nu”
Akwasi ft. Rob Dekay – “Een Wedstrijd”
Burna Boy – “Yawa Dey”
Just A Band ft.Octopizzo and Stan – “Dunia Ina Mambo” 
Dj Djeff feat Nacobeta, Agre G e Game Walla – “Mwangolé”