It's an overlooked phenomenon, but superheroes have long been a staple in hip-hop culture. Some have used comic book heroes as crutches for one-liners ("I take off the blazer, loosen up the tie / Step inside the booth, Superman is alive" rhymes Jay-Z on "Kingdom Come"), while others have crafted entire personas around them (Ghostface Killah goes as "Tony Starks," MF Doom is never seen without a mask and calls himself "the supervillain"). But some take it a step further, filming comic-inspired videos for their tunes. Without further ado, here are some of the 10 most awesome hip-hop music videos inspired by or themed around comic books, superheroes and graphic novels.



Madvillain - "All Caps"

Madvillain, a duo consisting of rapper MF Doom and producer Madlib, became heralded as one of the zaniest hip-hop duos to release an album in the '00s, dropping Madvillainy in '04 and never looking back (it's their only release to date). The album was peppered with snippets from old TV show adaptations of comic books, taking the theme a step further with the release of the video for lead single "ALL CAPS." In the video, MF Doom is transformed into an animated hero, with the clip playing like a live action comic strip. Check the video below to witness the awesomeness that is Madvillain.





Timbaland and Magoo featuring Missy Elliott - "Here We Come"

Similar to Madvillain's music video for "ALL CAPS," "Here We Come" is a comic book-turned-video clip. But instead of letting the animator get all the shine, these three amigos star in their own live action comic adventure, with their rhymes popping up in word bubbles and pages flipping across the screen to signify a scene change. "Here We Come" is animated as a song enough as is, but this video makes it even more visual and vibrant.





RZA as Bobby Digital - "You Can't Stop Me Now"

In real life, Wu-Tang Clan's RZA is a rap superhero. He's released innumerable albums as various different aliases, and his real life persona is almost as mysterious as the music he creates. Last year, RZA dropped the dark, Batman-inspired video for "You Can't Stop Me Now," much more sinister and shadowy than Timbaland and Magoos' "Here We Come." Check the "W" in the sky, a reference to Superman's "S," that comes at the beginning of the video. Awesome sauce.





Missy Elliott featuring Da Brat - "Sock It 2 Me"

This is the second time that Missy's appeared on this list, but is on a different horse in her clip for "Sock It 2 Me." Instead of taking part in a literal live action comic book, Missy takes inspiration from comic strips by dressing up as an intergalactic superhero, traveling around the universe with co-stars Lil' Kim and Da Brat, shooting giant fireballs at claymation space monsters. Who knew hip-hop could be this ridiculously awesome??





Eminem - "Without You"

You can't do a list of comic-inspired hip-hop music videos without including Eminem's "Without You." Assuming the guise of "Rap Boy," Eminem joins Dr. Dre on a quest to prevent a boy from purchasing his expletive-laden The Eminem Show, riding around the city in a Robin-inspired outfit. Throughout the clip, Em swings from one hilarious scenario to the next - as a roommate on The Real World, a guest star on the Sandy show - all while kicking butt like a true superhero. Only in this video, the only evil he combats is a kid trying to purchase his evil CD. Is he the hero, or the villain?





Method Man - "Judgement Day"

The second Wu-Tang Clan member to appear on this list, Method Man didn't necessarily use the video for "Judgement Day" to reference comic books. Rather, he looked to the art form as loose inspiration, donning a street warrior's garb and rapping on a throne in a post-apocalyptic world. Throughout the video, there are various bits of fantasy sprinkled about: a fiery explosion tearing through the streets, crows swarming around Method Man as he crouches on the ledge of a building, a mass exodus of people leaving a tarnished New York City landscape. Check the video below to feast your eyes on this loose interpretation of comic book fantasy.





Timbaland featuring The Hives - "Throw It On Me"

Like the Wu-Tang Clan, Timbaland seems to have always had a thing for comic book-inspired videos. In his second video to appear on our list, Timbo channels the spirit and look of Sin City and splits up screen duties with Swedish rock outfit The Hives, spitting out rhymes that turn into physical words as the video unfolds as if you were reading a live-action comic book. The coolest part about this video? Fast-forward to the two-minute mark to see the "Battle Royale" segment, where two bad girls get into a boxing match on the top of a skyscraper.





Kutmasta Kurt featuring Motion Man and Kool Keith - "We All Over"

At the beginning of this fully animated clip, our two protagonists appear rapping on the front cover of a comic book, slipping off the page to embark on a wild adventure involving stolen diamonds, espionage and mafia thuggery. Though this is more "comic animation" than "comic book," its sustained plot arc and "superhero" protagonists earn this video a spot on our list (even if it's the most bootleg of the bunch).





Soulja Boy - "Crank Dat"

OK, never mind the fact that this song has become successful in spite of its obnoxiousness. This video and song were loosely inspired by Superman (even though Soulja Boy reconfigured its meaning and had every boy and girl across the nation talking dirty, whether they knew it or not). In the video, there isn't necessarily any direct comic influence, but Soulja Boy repeatedly chants "Superman" and even has a Superman symbol on his hoodie. For that, we'll give him a spot on our list. But yes, we know, we're scraping the bottom of the barrel here.





Loer Velocity - "Trapped"

Rounding out the list is emcee Loer Velocity, whose video for the mean "Trapped" is a straight-up live-action comic. On top of a blurry background, panels filled with clips of dudes rapping bounce around as the snarly beat unfurls. While it isn't necessarily the most visual or captivating video on the list, it's clearly inspired by comic books, making it the perfect way to round out the Kiwibox list of comic-themed rap videos.