Rihanna Is Sledgehammering Her Way Into Music Video History

Rihanna's reached a league of her own. Her video for "Sledgehammer," which was shot with Imax cameras, premiered Thursday in Imax theaters — a music video first. It played as part of the preview sequence before "The Legend of Tarzan."

But Rihanna isn't the only artist making strides in the music video department. We can't forget Beyoncé's hourlong visual album "Lemonade," which dropped on HBO in April.

And late last year, Taylor Swift partnered with American Express and Immersive Media to create a 360-degree interactive video for Swift's hit "Blank Space," complete with a user-guided tour of the mansion where the video was shot and clickable Easter eggs hidden throughout.

If these visual works are any indication, it seems the good ol' YouTube debut might become a thing of the past.