Is it too early to give the shiny trophy for “Best Music Video of 2017” to Young Thug?

Last week, the Atlanta rapper set the internet ablaze (without even wearing a dress!) thanks to the weird, snarky metal video for his track “Wyclef Jean.”

But for once, Young Thug isn’t the one responsible for putting Young Thug in the spotlight — all he had to do, after all, was not show up. Instead, the credit for the brilliant, viral visual belongs to director Ryan Staake, who resurrected the ruined project with a lot of clever creativity and a little bitterness.

Compared to Staake’s other work — including the clean, well-made videos for J. Cole’s boners-in-math-class anthem “Wet Dreamz” and Clam Casino’s street smart banger “All Nite” — “Wyclef Jean” is a boundary-pushing rap video. Usually sticking to strippers, cars and strippers in cars, music videos in hip-hop have long been obvious amalgamations of genre tropes and little else.

But Staake isn’t the only director turning the stereotypical rap video on its head. Plenty of up-and-coming directors are using the genre to explore their unique visual concepts.

Here are five of them:

Cole Bennett

Cole Bennett has a few things in common with the rappers he works with: he’s young, talented and from Chicago. The brains behind production company Lyrical Lemonade, the baby-faced director has shot videos for hot street artists and SoundCloud rappers such as Famous Dex, Warhol.ss and King Louie.

His videos harken back to the days of drill music’s rise in Chicago, when Chief Keef music vids were little more than shirtless teenagers hanging out in their grandparents’ house. Blend that novelty with animation and a myriad of film school tricks and you have the hyper-kinetic, colorful videos of Bennett — videos that make gun-toting, blunt-puffing rappers seem like kids with ADHD having a blast on a playground.

Best work: Warhol.ss — Speed Racer

Yung Jake

Los Angeles-based rapper Yung Jake isn’t particularly well known for his music; actually, he gained notoriety online mostly for creating incredible celebrity portraits made only of emojis.

That probably says something about what Jake’s idea of art is. His music videos, like his artwork, are born from the internet, for the internet. They’re mostly made to be viewed on phones, such as the vertically-shot “H.G.T.V Freestyle” video he directed for Pusha-T. And while his videos can come across as gimmicky, Jake’s vibrant visual style carries the often experimental formats of the videos. If he keeps working with established artists like Pusha T, Yung Jake is a director to keep watching.

Best work: Yung Jake ­— Both (feat. Charlie Heat)

Ramez Silyan

There’s not a lot about Ramez Silyan on the internet, but his videos speak for themselves. He’s the director behind a number of recent videos for Atlanta rap madhouse Awful Records, helmed by wisecracking scumbag Father, and Silyan’s videos tend to blend rap video tropes with the weird imagery of David Lynch. The Andy Warhol-inspired video for Father’s “Heartthrob” is brightly colored, childlike and surprisingly dense for eye candy. And luckily, it’s not afraid to get weird (note the overtly sexual food shots in the clip’s second half).

But what all of Silyan’s videos have going for them is that no matter how out-there they get, they look great. He even manages to make face-tattooed grunge-rap weirdo LiL PEEP look effortlessly cool in the creepy, mansion-themed video for his track “Girls,” which isn’t an easy thing to do.

Best work: Father — Hearthrob

Calmatic

LA-based director Calmatic is actually kind of a traditionalist. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at his self-described influences: “Spike Jonze, the riots in 92, Rocmon, Lil’ Wayne’s verse on Truffle Butter, Suga Free, Heather, Taz Arnold, the Watson’s, Swiff D’s old beats he used to post on Myspace, liquor stores, my family, used Newport boxes, dark skinned women …” and the list goes on.

Nostalgia is the key ingredient in Calmatic’s videos for soulful California hip-hop acts such as Anderson .Paak, The Internet and Homeboy Sandman. And if they’re not breaking barriers, Calmatic can be proud of the fact that he’s making the most enjoyable rap videos out today. The secret weapon? A view of California that doesn’t stray from Kendrick Lamar’s description on “The Recipe:” “women, weed and weather.”

Best work: NxWorries — Suede

Glassface

Glassface is a graphic designer and director who is part of Brain Bandits, an “internet label and creative powerhouse.”

But you probably know him as the guy who made the video for “1 NIGHT” by Lil Yachty.

If you haven’t seen the video, you should. Not only is it one of last year’s best music videos, it’s a mission statement for Glassface’s directorial work — blending digital art and traditional video work until they’re indecipherable from each other. His work isn’t traditional in any sense of the word, but it’s always visually compelling and crazy as shit. Each music video isn’t just a film — it’s a mind-bending adventure, and you might not make it out in one piece.

Best work: Lil Yachty — 1 NIGHT