For automotive enthusiasts, these cars are the real stars of the videos they star in.
A daily part of most lives, cars are a personal statement and a symbol of status or station in life for people far beyond automotive enthusiasts, and because of that, cars have played an important role in pop culture over the years. In the world of music, celebrity artists often own unique cars, whether it be rare, limited-production luxury vehicles, or custom masterpieces that reflect their work or showcase their personas.
However, especially in decades past, cars often contribute significantly to music videos, either adding a flashy prop to a set, or even being the focus of the music video’s entire story and style. All kinds of luxury cars, supercars, and other exotic cars feature in music videos from various genres, some obscure, and some iconic in their own right.
Either way, plenty of cars have played starring roles in music videos across the industry, and some of our favorite automotive cameos in music videos can be seen below. Many of them are even listed for sale today on duPont REGISTRY, the source for supercars since 1985, so if you’re interested in getting behind the wheels of some of these masterpieces, click the button below to shop luxury and exotic cars for sale.
Drake – I’m Upset
Ferrari LaFerrari
The Weeknd – Starboy
McLaren P1
Sammy Hagar – I Can’t Drive 55
Ferrari 512 BBi
In the ’70s and ’80s, the National Maximum Speed Law made 55 miles per hour the highest speed that anyone in the United States could drive at. After getting a speeding ticket for doing 62 in upstate New York, artist Sammy Hagar wrote the song, and its music video features his black Ferrari 512 BBi being chased by the police.
Monica – A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me)
Fisker Tramonto
Wale – Chillin
Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series
Black Series, as enthusiasts would know, is a rare designation within the AMG canon that goes to cars that not only receive the AMG treatment beyond typical Mercedes-Benz performance, but go even further towards weight savings and track-focused enhancements. The SL 65 AMG Black Series is one of the earlier models to get the Black Series treatment, and it turned the V12-powered SL 65 hardtop convertible into a monstrous coupe, which stared in Wale’s “Chillin” alongside featured artist Lady Gaga.
Missy Elliott – She’s A B**ch
Jaguar XJ220
Once the world’s fastest production car, the Jaguar XJ220 is one of the most interesting supercars from the ‘90s, introduced as a concept that was going to feature all-wheel drive and a V12 engine, and instead had rear-wheel drive and a racing-derived twin-turbo V6, still snagging the coveted distinction of fastest production car in its time. Not long after its reign in the world of supercars, the now retrofuturistic silver XJ220 fit perfectly in the avant-garde, minimalistic aesthetic of this Missy Elliott video.
WJSN – Secret
Ferrari 400i
K-pop is no stranger to featuring cars in music videos, with groups seen in videos performing tight choreography in front of exotic cars quite often. However, one of the most unique appearances of an exotic car in a K-pop video came in the video for Secret, the 2016 hit single from WJSN, or Cosmic Girls. The boxy, retro Ferrari 400i touring coupe features dainty lace seat covers in the video and serves as a V12-powered spaceship.
Nicki Minaj, Cassie – The Boys
Campagna T-Rex
Rapper Nicki Minaj is known for a bold, defiant aesthetic, and many of her earlier projects were marked by bright neon colors and a style reminiscent of cartoons. In the music video for her song with Cassie, “The Boys,” the almost alien-looking, motorcycle engine-powered, three-wheel Campagna T-Rex added to the unique aesthetic.
Keyshia Cole – I Ain’t Thru
Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe
A virtually universal symbol of the pinnacle of luxury, the Rolls-Royce Phantom has long been a favorite in music videos. However, in the video for Keyshia Cole’s “I Ain’t Thru,” Cole and her featured artist in the song, Nicki Minaj, are seen riding around in the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, as opposed to the typical Phantom sedan.
Jay-Z & Kanye West – Otis
Maybach 57
There’s no talking about cars in music videos without talking about this one. Sampling Otis Redding, hence its title, the legendary Spike Jonze-directed video for this song by Jay-Z and Kanye West sees the pair take to one of the ultimate luxury cars of the time, a Maybach sedan, destroying it to customize it into a Mad Max-like creation with no doors or windows to do donuts.
Jamiroquai – Cosmic Girl
Ferrari F355 , Lamborghini Diablo SE30, Ferrari F40
Directed by Adrian Moat and filmed in Spain, the music video for Cosmic Girl by Jamiroquai entirely consists of shots of three legendary supercars being driven along the stunning location’s mountain roads. An avid car collector to this day, Jay Kay apparently had to drive the Lamborghini Diablo with no windshield, the result of a few car-related mishaps during the video’s production.
Tyla – PUSH 2 START
TVR 350i
South African pop star Tyla has risen to international stardom since the virality of her song “Water,” but PUSH 2 START, with a car-related title, got a car wash-themed video to match. A number of iconic cars like the Chevrolet Corvette and Mazda RX-7 can be seen in the video, but one of the most interesting cars on the set is a TVR wedge convertible.
Big Tymers – Get Your Roll On
Chevrolet Corvette C5, Ferrari 360 Modena, Lamborghini Diablo, Bentley Arnage
Mannie Fresh and Birdman’s duo, Big Tymers, was responsible for plenty of iconic songs, but for automotive enthusiasts, the video for “Get Your Roll On” has to be the most fun to watch. It immediately starts with a Ferrari 360 Modena and a C5 Corvette, transitioning to multiple Corvettes sliding on a wet surface, with a Bentley Arnage with its window sticker still on making an appearance, a Lamborghini Diablo doing donuts with the scissor doors open, the iconic 2000s Hummer appearing in the background, and even a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wagon with custom chrome rims.
Jermaine Dupri – Money Ain’t A Thang
Ferrari F355 Spider, Porsche 911 996, Bentley Continental R
The video for “Montey Ain’t A Thang” sees Jermaine Dupri and featured artist Jay-Z luxuriating in their money, showing actress Traci Bingham, and former Miss USA and future Real Housewife of Atlanta Kenya Moore as their companions, riding on horseback and driving in a Porsche 911, at the very dawn of the 996 era in 1998, as well as a Ferrari F355 Spider. A Bentley Continental R makes an appearance as well, for good measure.
Kelis – Bossy
Ferrari Enzo
Featuring rapper Too $hort, “Bossy” by Kelis sees the singer in various glamorous settings, including being behind the wheel of one of Ferrari’s most valuable and legendary creations, the Enzo of the early 2000s. Today, the Enzo is hallowed in the exclusive circle of Ferrari’s halo cars, and fetches incredible prices on the rare occasions an example is sold or auctioned off.
Tony Yayo – So Seductive
Mercedes-Benz CLS
Featuring 50 Cent, the video for “So Seductive” by Tony Yayo sees the rapper dream of breaking out of prison to be picked up by 50 Cent in a Mercedes-Benz CLS, which, launched with a unique four-seat layout, was incredibly exotic in its time. Its dramatic silhouette and driver-focused luxury birthed a new genre of cars, the four-door coupe, which would become a popular segment among luxury marques like Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz still represented today.
Whitney Houston – Heartbreak Hotel
Rolls-Royce Corniche
In this anthem full of powerhouse vocals, Whitney Houston filmed the video for “Heartbreak Hotel” in Miami, walking along the beach and throwing a beautiful, long white fur coat into the waves, seemingly as a reaction to the heartbreak in question. However, at the beginning of the video, Houston arrives in Miami on a private jet, met by the two featured singers, Kelly Price and Faith Evans, in a Rolls-Royce Corniche. The trio then arrives at Miami’s iconic National Hotel.
Lil’ Kim – The Jump Off
Mercedes-Benz G-Class Cabriolet
Lil’ Kim’s iconic “The Jump Off,” featuring Mr. Cheeks, got an equally iconic music video, and throughout, Kim is seen in a rare white G-Class Cabriolet, opening the convertible top, and dancing with friends who are standing in the back with the top open. In another song on the same La Bella Mafia album, “Doing It Way Big,” Kim delivers the line “pull out the G 55 Cabriolet, oh, by the way, I’m doing it way big,” suggesting that this could be a G 55 AMG Cabriolet, in which case, it would be incredibly rare, with only 12 apparently made by AMG, according to this listing of one sold by RM Sotheby’s in Dubai in late 2024 for $184,000.
Birdman, Lil’ Wayne – Stuntin’ Like My Daddy
Mercedes-Benz R-Class
The Mercedes-Benz R-Class is a relic of the 2000s, when Mercedes-Benz decided to give families its take on a minivan with a Mercedes-Benz luxury twist. Showcased next to a red Rolls-Royce Phantom in a video that features a theme of red for “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” by Birdman and Lil’ Wayne, a red custom R-Class appears in the background after the dramatic motorcycle chase the video starts with.
Toni Braxton – Hit The Freeway
Bentley Azure, Hummer H2
In the video for Braxton’s early 2000s breakup hit “Hit The Freeway,” featuring rapper Loon, Braxton drives a Bentley Azure at night while being followed by Loon, depicted as an ex-lover, in an orange Hummer H2, which was very appropriate for the time.
Mariah Carey – Say Somethin’
Maserati Quattroporte
Known for her extravagance, Mariah Carey is being followed by paparazzi around Paris in her video for “Say Somethin’,” in the back of a Maserati Quattroporte, which was very new and exotic at the time, sat next to Pharrell Williams, who produced the song. Other highlights of the video include a Louis Vuitton shopping trip with fashion legend Andre Leon Talley, and iconic scenes of the City of Light.
Migos – Motorsport
Lamborghini Diablo, Ferrari Testarossa, Lamborghini Countach
Featuring Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, this song was the catalyst for hot button pop culture moments that are still relevant today. However, the video for the song is iconic for automotive enthusiasts in its own right, as appropriately to its title, it features quite a few exotic cars, including two different examples of the Lamborghini Countach.
