beauty in a wicked world.

Last night, as I was relaxing with a few glasses of champagne and listening to Erykah Badu's latest album, New Amerykah Part Two (Return Of The Ankh), it occurred to me that I had not seen her new viral video for "Window Seat". If you haven't see it yet, watch it HERE. Even if you haven't taken the time to watch it, you've probably seen clips of it on the news. Apparently, there isn't anything else going on in the world, so this has gained national attention. The music video is an ode to Matt and Kim's "Lessons Learned", in which the duo appears to stroll down Time Square and slowly remove each article of clothing until there is nothing left but what their mama's gave them. Harmless, right? In Badu's video, she does the exact same thing...except it takes place in Dallas, ends at the Grassy Knoll, and she didn't have a permit. I can understand why officials want to address the fact that she filmed with no actors, police, security, or permits on hand, but is it really that much of an issue? Yes, unsuspecting families were loitering the Grassy Knoll that day, but they are the only ones who were directly affected by her female parts. I doubt most of the people who were actually there even give a shit.

The fact that it is a reenactment of the JFK assassination is another issue at hand. In my opinion, it was done in an artistic manner. Badu is indeed a magnificent artist. Of course, a visual like this will spark mass controversy, but Americans are acting as if this is one of the worst things to hit our computer screens. Trust me, there are much more offensive videos on the internet. Hell, there are more offensive visuals on our television screens. If a less well-known artist had done the exact same video, the buzz over it would probably be minimal. In my opinion, if Dallas officials hadn't made such a fuss over the video, people would have been more upset about that than the actual video. That can be said for many things *cough* swine flu *cough*. Don't even get mm started on that one. Americans enjoy abusing their freedom to get pissed off about anything and everything. Take it for what it is, and leave it alone. If it offends you, don't watch it. It is that simple. It takes more energy to get upset rather than let it slide off your back.

Nonetheless, Badu is getting plenty of publicity for her album (which is excellent by the way). She even stated that she was prepared to deal with any possible consequences for her actions, whether it be fines or even jail time. I love this video and the message it voices:


I love you, Erykah Badu. You are fab.u.lous.