Erykah Badu’s “Window Seat” may or may not turn out to be a radio hit, but it certainly is all over the airwaves. Barely 48 hours after she released the NSFW video for the song, it has become a preoccupation for politicians, TV talking heads and critics. Was Erykah’s “striptease” in Dallas’ Dealey Plaza (site of the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy) a display of “poor taste and poor judgement”, as one civic leader put it? Or was it something else entirely?
Spoiler alert, for those who haven’t seen the clip yet: after Erykah peels off the last of her clothing, a gunshot rings out and she slumps to the ground. Blue liquid appears to spill from her head, forming the word “groupthink” on the pavement. Erykah’s voice is then heard to say: “They play it safe, are quick to assassinate what they do not understand. They move in packs, ingesting more and more fear with every act of hate on one another.”
Thought-provoking though it might be, Erykah’s message alone might not have attracted much attention from the press. Her choice of video-shoot locations, however, certainly did — the Dallas Morning News reports that local leaders in Dallas (which is also Erykah’s hometown) are up in arms. “I don’t understand how someone who lives here, who is a resident of this city, could do such a thing,” Lindalyn Adams, a civic volunteer who helped restore the historic plaza in the 1980s, told the paper.
Erykah told the Morning News in an interview that she picked the Kennedy assassination site specifically because “the grassy knoll was the most monumental place in Dallas,” and that “I tied it in a way that compared tha assassination to the character assassination one would go through after showing his or her self completely.”
But other critics are calling out Badu, saying the video is just a ploy to sell albums, not a real social commentary. One widely quoted post from the Black Political Thought blog contends: “One would think she would lead by example, especially since she is a parent. The reality is that this woman hasn’t had a hit song in years, so she must be crying out for attention or more money.”
What’s your take? On one hand, it’s impossible to believe that someone as savvy as Erykah Badu wouldn’t know well in advance just how much noise this clip (directed by Coodie and Chike of Creative Control) would create — and she’s smart enough to know it might, directly or not, drive sales of her single or album (New Amerykah Pt. 2: Return Of The Ankh). On the other, it seems downright ridiculous to us that an artist as authentic as Erykah would do this — or much of anything else — for cheap commercial gain.
I think Erykah made her point. She is not desparate to sell albums. She is a great Artist and people have listened to Erykahs message songs for years. The media could not wait to lay a profound twist of words down. They always have to start it off with some negative BS and it is just not necessary. I’m glad she did the video and other than the few who are looking at it sexually would have missed the message anyways. But for the ones who understood the message did not look at the nudity as sexual or provocative. There are some who are really interested in what a person has to say. Thank you Erykah for being a voice for many. Keep it up girl. I love it.
Regardless if Erykah factored in whether this stunt would generate buzz for her project or not, (I'm sure she did and as an employee of a record label if she isn't looking for people to buy her music then she should be looking for a new job) this video is a compelling piece of work.
I think her message is clear and honest. And she's certainly not the first to entangle the naked body with themes of rejection, ostracization, individuality and liberty. Good art can provoke controversy.
Didn't Alanis Morissette basically do the same thing? Didn't Madonna kiss Briteny Spears at some awards show where Children were probably watching. But let Janet, Eryka or any black woman do someting similar and all hell breaks loose. The reality is the Black woman's sexuality is still trying to be controlled. We all know the real deal. Now bring out all the “Playing the race card” catch phrases.
Disgraceful, disrespectfu c*nt.
Have you checked her record sales Crystal?? They have tanked. She did it for publicity. The fact is, what she did was disgraceful, distasteful, and immoral. She should be ashamed.
Interesting how the article references a Black Political Thought blog criticizing Badu. I also would think that a lot of people criticizing Badu also criticized the other artists you mentioned. But no, let's just generalize all of Badu's critics as people controlling a black woman's sexuality.
Big deal,at least she looks good.