I should say this last decade was the one where I was most cognizant of the music video — I mean, my teenage years began and ended in the oughts…

Even still, this was by no means an easy list to compile. Let’s just say, a lot of my favorites were made in 1999… And this list certainly is not complete — T.I.’s “What You Know” wasn’t even on YouTube! But I love the videos I chose, and they certainly fit my lone criterion for this exclusive list — and that is, I absolutely cannot turn my head away when they come on!

Check out my video picks — in no particular order — after the jump. And weigh in! I know I have a lot of saucy picks — what do you think?

Destiny’s Child
“Say My Name”

When this video came out, I had to do like five double takes. I seriously tuned in to BET all day long to get as many glimpses as I could of the new girls, Michelle and Farrah. I was a huge Destiny’s Child fan then, so the line up change was devastating to me yet the most exciting thing ever. I should really be more sympathetic to the Justin Bieber fans.

Outkast
“Hey Ya”

Oh, this takes me back to freshman year in college. Brilliant. Green.

Amerie
“Why R U”

A pretty recent video, huh?! Well, this was actually the first video I ever bought on iTunes. I am a HUUUGE Amerie fan, and her return was long awaited by yours truly. The fashion in this video is so dope–in fact, here lies the inspiration behind my perennial favorite, the shiny legging. My favorite kind of videos are the abstract ones.

Ciara
“Get Up”

No one does it quite like Princess Super C! A lot of people have deserted Ciara. Tossed her aside. Left her for dead. Me? I can’t forget that she’s responsible for some of our favorite dance hits of the past decade. “Get Up” came out when I was studying abroad in Florence. Before Jay-Z did all black everything, CiCi did it here. Ciara is one of my favorite artists — her discography is undeniable and she is an ENTER-TAIN-ER.

Gwen Stefani
“What You Waiting For?”

I was so excited for Gwen’s solo debut. I was a bit off put by the whole Harajuku obsession but I believe everyone deserves a swag to call their own. The album was on another level.

Fonzworth Bentley
“Everybody”

Everybody — yes, everybody is in this video. This is so smooth, so fresh, so dope, and I love the confidence that it takes as hip hop artists to be able to perform in this way. This is one of those videos that made me feel differently about music in the oughts.

Jennifer Lopez
“Love Don’t Cost A Thing”

MTV did a “Making the Video” for this. My favorite part was when she tossed the horn necklace and she lost it! I wanted that necklace! And it became a trend about five years later so J-Lo’s stylist was really ahead of the curve on that one. I eventually did get my horn necklace.

Justin Timberlake
“Like I Love You”

When this came out, it felt like music was over–in a good way! Justin shut it down… We drove down to Virginia and I left the song on repeat on my CD player and then fell asleep–let’s just say, my family thinks I’m obsessed with Justin. He had Clipse on the track, which garners a third thumb up from me, and overall, I’m digging the throwback MJ moves.

Lupe Fiasco
“Daydream”

There’s a huge robot in this video. ‘Nuff said.

P. Diddy & The Bad Boy Family
“Let’s Get It”

Whenever I think of music videos that I love, this is the first one that comes to mind. This is the first time we saw the Harlem Shake on screen and I love the black and white motif. And not to mention, I liked G. Dep a whole lot, I hope he stages a comeback.

Nas
“Made You Look”

This was a video for the streets, by the streets.

Rihanna
“Umbrella”

Visually, I’m all about Rihanna’s new video for “Hard.” But I couldn’t embed it, and I had to represent Rihanna on my list…

Britney Spears
“Oops! I Did It Again”

Red cat suit, a reference to Titanic, and that fabulous blonde pony make this one of the greatest videos of all time (sorry, Taylor).

Missy
“Work It”

Oh, there were lots of Missy videos I could have selected. And believe me, I wanted to pick “Get Ur Freak On.” But like Rihanna’s “Hard”, I couldn’t find a version that I could embed. “Work It” was essentially a second version of “Get Ur Freak On”–all right, to be nice, I’ll say it’s a continuation.

Ginuwine
“In Those Jeans”

For such a “raunchy” song, I thought the video was very tasteful. And Kimora’s in it. I love Kimora Lee Simmons. For some time, this was a line guys used. Not at all original but I laughed every time!

Ciara
“Like A Boy”

Now in retrospect, if you compare Mariah Carey as a man in “Obsessed” with Ciara in this video, who does drag the best?