Synopsis

A woman runs through a dark forest as a search dog closes in behind her. The video then cuts between New Kids on the Block performing at a rough-looking party in a brothel and rapping and dancing at a construction site. The group's tougher image matches the song's hard-edged new jack swing sound, while guest rappers Nice & Smooth appear near the end. The clip concludes with the band showing off its breakdancing skills amid the video's deliberately seedy, confrontational atmosphere.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Dirty Dawg" was released in December 1993 as the lead single from the group's 1994 album "Face the Music," a record that marked a move away from their earlier bubblegum pop image toward R&B and new jack swing.

• The song became New Kids on the Block's final US Billboard Hot 100 entry before their 2008 comeback single "Summertime." It peaked at No. 66.

• Nice & Smooth contribute a guest rap to the track and make an appearance in the video, giving the clip a stronger hip-hop connection than the group's earlier mainstream hits.

• The video's depiction of violence and its misogynistic themes caused controversy. The UK's Independent Television Commission issued a formal warning, and MTV Europe moved the video to late-night programming.

• Canadian music channel MuchMusic banned the video from its regular schedule.

• The song samples Janet Jackson's "That's the Way Love Goes," linking the group's attempted 1990s reinvention to one of the era's defining new jack swing hits.