There has been a lot of buzz in entertainment industry during the past week. Usher released a new album, Nicki Minaj’s Massive Attack music video premiered and more women have come forth about Jesse James’ (husband of actress Sandra Bullock) affairs. However, one woman has shaken the media world more than these three combined: Erykah Badu. With the release of her new music video, “Window Seat,” the neo-soul veteran artist caused a lot of controversy with the video’s content.
The video features Badu walking in a tourist area stripping down to her bare-naked flesh with a tattoo that reads, “Evolve,” on her back. At the end of the video, she gets shot in the same spot as former President John F. Kennedy. Social networking sites are buzzing over the video, when there are more issues in the world to deal with. With mine collapses and a sudden California earthquake occurring, it confuses me that the media would focus on such a minuscule situation as an artist’s music video.
The video is a metaphor; one that was obviously missed by America. When Badu stripped her clothes off in the video, she was not doing it to show her body, but to shed the worries of the world, the stigmas of society and to free herself of the many chains that enslave the American people.
As the video ends, she is gunned down in the same way Kennedy was more than forty years ago. The shooting symbolizes the way people shoot each other down within society; similar to the way the media has done this very video.
There have been several video’s over the years that have been much more offensive than this video. Nelly’s “Tip Drill,” depicts women dancing on a handstand wearing very little clothing. Although the video aired on cable television late night, kids were still able to see the video. Nothing was censored nor was the video removed from the Internet. However, “Window Seat,” has been removed from Youtube and every other popular Web site.
All it took was for her to be killed in the same spot as a former president and she’s chastised? That is such an unfair act by the media.
Haiti is still suffering, Rhode Island is partially under water and weather climates are constantly taking a turn for the worst. Despite these more important issues, somehow the media can seem to find time to discuss a video of artistic proportions as if it were a raunchy porno.
The media really needs to get its priorities order.
I can go on a tangent that would last an entire Harry Potter series, but I feel that the media is not worth that much time.