"WTF!" Bald Black man Madden covered his head, looking shocked, and the others who watched the MV on the TV had the same expression. Milon was the same, even Judy's eyes widened, her face showing a ghostly expression.
"What is this song? What is this MV?"
A big question rose in everyone's heart, followed by the feeling of being slashed by Jessica's blade, as memories of the MV's name quickly resurfaced.
"'Nothing But Arrogance.'"
"OMG! What the hell is this? Why does this song sound so bad, but it's... it's so catchy! Nothing but arrogance, take everything down!"
"Yeah, you're right, and that MV! Oh my god, it's so violent! It's so satisfying! I feel like I'm about to climax with it!"
"I've never seen such violent scenes! But why is the blood green? WHY?"
"It's crazy! I feel like the song is like this, and the director must be too… How did he come up with such an idea to have such a delicate beauty film an action scene? But I have to admit, she hits hard!"
Everyone felt excited but confused. If they had to describe their feelings after watching the MV in one sentence, it would be: What kind of mental state was the director in to create this MV?
Thinking about this, Milon came back to his senses and asked Deval, who was watching from the side: "The director of this song is Ethan?"
"Exactly!" Deval shrugged.
"I can't believe it, Ethan actually made an action movie! And it's so well made!" Milon was beginning to understand why the song evoked such a complicated emotional response.
The main reason was that Raymond's beats were so explosive, and his rap was so catchy. When the MV and song were watched together, it created a trance-like effect in their ears.
At the same time, Milon also felt that the song didn't seem to deserve such an impressive MV, but after watching it, he wanted to see it again. Even though, for him, someone who didn't listen to death metal, it was a form of torture.
But it was exactly because it was painful yet enjoyable that made it even more entangling.
The others, still dazed, felt the same way. After the credits rolled on the TV, it started looping again.
After the second round, Madden mumbled, "Nothing but arrogance, take everything down."
Four-eyed Poochie waved his hands back and forth like blades: "Kill, kill, kill! Kill, kill, kill!"
"Nothing but arrogance, take everything down."
"Kill, kill, kill! Kill, kill, kill!"
The two seemed to have been completely brainwashed by the MV, howling like ghosts in front of the TV, making a scene, almost as if they were mimicking Bruce Lee by swiping their noses.
"So, are you going to buy this album?" Deval turned to Milon.
Milon looked at Judy.
"I'm not buying it, this song is too terrible... and I don't like the violence." Judy wrinkled her nose and refused Deval's offer.
But the next moment, she saw Milon quickly turn around: "I'll buy! Three copies!"
"Thank you, boss! I'll take one too!"
"Leave five for me! I'm going to play it at all the parties!"
"That's right, party! Massacre! This is how it should be! I'll take two!"
Judy was stunned as she watched these men excitedly waving cash, looking like they had to get their hands on the album, feeling somewhat bewildered.
Even the stingy Poochie and Madden each took out money to buy a copy, and they were more enthusiastic about this than when they bought photo albums. There were many others in the same situation.
After "Nothing But Arrogance" was released, most women rated the song as awful, while most men rated it as bad, but not entirely bad.
The key was that the song was incredibly satisfying!
Whether listening to it or watching it, they could vent all their emotions to the explosive music and intense visuals.
Especially for those who were dissatisfied with things or people in their lives. Everyone had been through moments of frustration, but they couldn't vent it directly. Yet, after watching the MV, no one was left untouched, as their pent-up emotions were released with Jessica's bloody scenes.
As soon as Jessica's name became known, she was immediately hailed by fans as the goddess of slaughter!
She had seen her name in the news these past few days, in both the music industry and Hollywood. The main reason was that Hollywood Reporter published an article recently, which brought the extremely bloody and violent scenes from the MV into the public eye, making it quickly known in the Hollywood circle.
"Blood-soaked violence: a new aesthetic! The stark contrast of extreme colors and minimalist actions!"
Usually, new styles are born in films and then spread to the industries around them, becoming familiar to people.
For example, John Woo's violent aesthetics, Alfred Hitchcock's thriller art, or Stephen Chow's nonsensical style.
But this time it was different. When some Hollywood media saw the MV's style, they couldn't find any similar style in past films.
Ethan's MV, although bearing Quentin Tarantino's influence, wasn't a full imitation. There weren't any scenes of gouged eyes or ripped-out hearts. Instead, it focused on various bone-crushing techniques.
And with the extreme use of singular color contrasts, the feeling was more like a mixture of various styles forming a new direction.
It was precisely this reason that caught Hollywood's attention. After Hollywood Reporter published its article, more media outlets began to pay attention to the MV and express their views and opinions.
At the same time, the music industry was also in an uproar over this song. On one hand, Ethan's new MV was undeniably good, but on the other hand, the song's listening experience was absolutely awful.
Many music critics pointed out that the song and MV shouldn't be watched together, and should be evaluated separately. The song itself and its style were difficult to accept.
But they couldn't go further with their criticisms, because the singer Raymond had tragically passed away, in a tragic accident. Should they still raise him as a target for their attacks?
Even the tabloids in the music industry couldn't do such a thing. Therefore, a strange situation occurred. All the newspapers were only discussing the MV, as if no one cared about whether the song was good or bad.
For example, Billboard Music published a review of the song, with the headline: "In the Name of Satire, a Work of Venting!"
"If we had to pick the most unexpected thing in early 2003, it would definitely be the MTV Award winner Ethan, who made a new MV that killed all the 'judges'. This is insane. Many newspapers said that Ethan, just like the song's name, 'Nothing But Arrogance,' was challenging the boundaries of all music critics and judges, flaunting his success. But in my opinion, it's more than just that.
"Because from the various details of this MV, it's clear that this isn't just a simple slaughter of critics; it's more of a satire of the music industry's absurdities. New singers are always surrounded by meaningless speculation and contemptuous controversies."
"Let's break down the elements in the video. The first is of course the awards stage, where several clowns appear. This clearly mocks the critics. Then, when the curtain rises, we see a dark courtroom, with Jessica in the defendant's seat."
"What does this represent? It shows that the so-called awards stage is nothing but a public trial of new artists. It's no longer a true awards ceremony, but an attack on the younger generation. The clowns, now turned judges, are wearing red robes instead of black, which means they only want to be seen and don't care about the truth."
"The trial proceeds, and when Jessica's clothes are ripped off, we realize no one physically does this action, implying that the 'judges' are simply using their words and articles to attack these new artists."
"Then comes the fighting, breaking through the prison walls. When Jessica enters the martial arts hall, the 'judges' are sitting on the floor. In the center, there are lists and portraits, like wanted posters. These are their targets. This confirms my point: they are critics who feed off mocking new artists' new styles."
"Finally, we get the explosive action, the killings. The red-robed figures spit out green blood, clearly not real people, but monsters. Jessica kills these monsters, smashing their judgment seats. She destroys the ridiculous awards stage, and the MV ends."
"After watching the entire MV, even though Raymond's singing is admittedly unpleasant, the combination of lyrics and MV is perfect. Even though it's filled with profanity and inappropriate jokes, this is the attitude of the new generation. Just like Eminem, who has been criticized since his debut. In fact, criticizing him has even become the 'correct' stance in the music industry."
"Because some critics are scared, scared that this new form of music will subvert their aesthetics, recognition, and status. To protect the old order, they have to suppress new styles until the new becomes mainstream, and new critics replace the old, repeating the cycle."
"Therefore, I give full marks to Ethan's MV. As for this year's MTV Awards, honestly, if it doesn't go to this song, it'll be even more interesting because it proves the song successfully satirized everything."
After this article was published, Billboard Music's sales skyrocketed, and music critics seemed to find a new angle to interpret the MV, so they began to step in and mock the old critics who considered themselves above everything.
Readers supported this, and any newspaper that published such opinions saw their sales increase, making everyone smile with joy.
Even singers in the music industry showed their support, especially the rap artists. Jay-Z, Nelly, and others all commented on the song.
They all refrained from commenting on the song itself, instead focusing on the lyrics and the MV. Only Eminem expressed regret, saying that if Raymond hadn't passed away, they might have collaborated on a song.
Of course, Raymond would write the lyrics, and Eminem would perform.
Everyone was mourning Raymond. Some even went back to Raymond's grave to pay their respects. In the midst of all this deep remembrance for Raymond, only Dylan was fuming with anger!
His lungs were almost ready to burst!