Video: Erykah Badu – “Window Seat”

3/27/10 | By | 8 Comments

Erykah Badu Video: Erykah Badu Window SeatLast night Erykah’s debuted her latest video for “Window Seat” at precisely 3:33am on her website. Once again she delivers incredible visuals with a message. The inspiration for the video comes from Matt & Kim’s “Lesson’s Learned”. The video is shot in the same streets of the JKF assassination in Texas. Erykah comes out of the same car he did. We find Erykah stripping herself figuratively and literally of layers in order to evolve and liberate herself in a new way. But in life, change is always met with opposition; …quick to assassinate what they do not understand….A single person within a circumstance can move one to change, to love ourself, to EVOLVE. The words in blue paint at the end read ‘Groupthink‘. Time to wake up y’all, let’s not be sheep.

Her new album New Amerykah Part II: Return of the Ankh drops next Tuesday. Please watch the video and let us know what you think after the jump.

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  • Pingback: So Fresh and So Green » Some Thoughts on Erykah Badu’s “Window Seat”

  • LaTonya

    I get the message she is trying to convey but I don’t like this video because no one cares about the message, they only care about seeing her ass, breast, and vagina. My boss at work, who is a man, came in this morning talking non stop about Ms. Badu getting completly naked in this video and how he was going to download it. Never mentioned the MESSAGE of rebirth and change or whatever she’s trying to prove. Radio show DJs were also sensationalizing the video encouraging people to go check out her ASSets. Never mentioning the MESSAGE. 98% of every man who watches this video will have the same reaction and mindset as my boss in my opinion. It is because of that reaction that many women like myself and others commenting on this site feel she went too far. The message is lost in the distastful act of stripping down in front of strangers and children. I want to see our black female artist be powerful again. Remember the uplifting, positive, empowering videos and messages from past artist like Lauren Hill, Queen Latifah, India Are. Enough of this foolishness of symbols and hidden agendas within the lyrics. Personally I felt her being shot in the same spot as JFK was insulting.

  • http://www.sofreshandsogreen.com/ Madam Toussaint

    I don’t think 98% of the men who see this video will only care about Erykah’s assets whether they say that’s what they were thinking or not.

    It’s always easier to objectify a woman, especially one who’s naked when she’s making a statement that you don’t understand! I think some people still don’t get her message, then nudity becomes the thing you don’t have to think so hard about and can have an opinion on.

    I think as a woman who is respected and has made so many strong statements in the past Erykah managed to be heard too. On top of that I think she may be one of the only female singers now that could make a statement like that naked and still be taken seriously. Otherwise Erykah’s always covered so if Beyonce wanted to make a statement like that (which she wouldn’t) it would make more sense for her to put her clothes on to do it!

    The nudity in this video isn’t shown in a sexual context and wasn’t intended to titillate. Being nude in art is about the human form. Objectification, misogyny and sexism break, isolate and separate parts of the female human form visually. Then those visuals are sexualized. That wasn’t Erykah’s creation, those things existed before her. Erykah, you and I could be subjected to that fully clothed.

    Nudity doesn’t equal pornography, it’s not distasteful or wrong. In this video it emphasizes her point about the individual and shows how much she means what she’s saying.

    Why is the JFK thing insulting? Anyway I expressed more thoughts about it here http://bit.ly/9tHz6l

  • afan

    damn. this is why i love music.

    A genius comes along not very often in music and Erykah Badu is a musical genius.

    This is Art and her nudity towards the end of the video was her showing that she is taking off all that baggage and cleansing her self by starting fresh. Her being naked shows that she is finally FREE…..

    Her getting shot shows that your never truly FREE.

    Its actually very Afro-Centric.

    And all black people should be proud that she is showing the world that she is proud and not afraid.

    peace

    afan….of Eyrkah Badu

    PS. appreciate the whole video.

    i think the whole JFK thing was interesting aswell. He was Americas second Freedom president obviously Lincoln was first. JFK was the first that black people looked at as the one to set us all finally FREE.

    obviously he was SHOT before he could.

    Maybe Erykah was SHOT before she could. Maybe she wanted to set us FREE from the slave music industry. or maybe she wanted to be FREE from the slave music industry.

    OR MAYBE ITS THAT MUSIC SUCKS AND SHE WANTS US TALKING ABOUT REAL PURE GOOD MUSIC………..

    peace

    afan

  • afan

    Video is down. if you want to look at the video click on the mini video picture on the video screen. there are two badu video’s you can click on.

  • http://potholesinmyblog.com/ Gedi Dabakaeri

    @LaTonya I have to respectfully disagree. I’m pretty certain Erykah knew the reaction to the video would be divided. However, based on the dialog I’ve had with most people its been positive and the artistic intention was understood. I mean I get the concrete visuals but that’s nothing new when you factor the access to pornography/nudity on the net. Erykah did it to communicate a metaphor on pursuing individuality and evolution so it all made sense and the message is the lasting impression.

    In terms of the negative reactions, sexuality is indoctrinated and presented in society in such black/white terms (objectification, misogyny, gay, straight, etc.) that there’s little room for artistic merit with something like nudity. For the record, nudity is not profane. Art is you, art is me; its all of us with our contradictions and imperfections. Something that isn’t explained using black/white terms. Just because its open to interpretation doesn’t make that an exercise in futility. People fear what they don’t understand or can’t control so they use terms to divide and conquer the public. Its reminiscent of that verse by Mos Def on “Thieves In The night” where he talks about the black experience;

    “I find it’s distressin, there’s never no in-between
    We either niggaz or kings, We either bitches or queens”

    When Alanis Morrisette went naked ten years ago it was probably received as high art but when Erykah does its objectification? Its a weird double stand when people of colour want to push the envelope or present their art.

    Lets be clear, Erykah was sexual and beautiful without ever having to take her clothes off. I think she summed it up well regarding the reactions; …”I have been naked all along in my words, actions, & deeds.That’s the real vulnerable place.”

    The JFK connection to me represented freedom which is something he stood for in the eyes of many in the black community at that time. As I said earlier, change comes with opposition this video proves that and JFK was no stranger to that in his lifetime.

    As @afan stated; “appreciate the whole video”, if more people do that they’ll recognize the message and not just the sum of its parts.

    Thanks for the comments.
    peace.

  • http://potholesinmyblog.com/ Gedi Dabakaeri

    @afan “….Her being naked shows that she is finally FREE….. Her getting shot shows that your never truly FREE.”

    I can’t word it that any better that.

    Thanks for the comments.
    peace.

  • JC323CALI

    I SALUTE ERYKA MESSAGE…..BUT YALL CANT IGNORE THAT SHE GOT @$$