Please read the above for my commentary

I am not a Badu fan but to me this video puts her on a totally different sale. This is art. I think this was the point of the entire video, the expected outrage people would have. The undertone: people would not have been hardly as outraged with this sitting in the comfort of their homes alone watching it, but like Ms. Badu was getting at, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon because the masses tell them that they "should" feel disrespected and outraged (especially as a black woman). I actually feel disrespected and outraged that a black woman is not allowed this kind of creative freedom. Everyone was fine when she rocked headwraps and afrocentric attire, to me it was a distraction (thats just me). If people didnt peep what it said on her back ("evolution" ) then maybe they should have another watch at it. She is evolving. There is a vulnerability that I witnessed from her that I have never seen before. Maybe that's the problem. Maybe viewers would instead like the facade of attire that connotes strength, instead of nudity ( people are acting like we saw the nudity) that connotes a mix of strength and vulnerability. Erykah has created a persona for herself and unfortunately people would rather she stay stagnant in that "strength" then to evolve as both a woman and an artist. Its not surprising that whenever a black woman does something to dispel this notion of the forced strength put on us we become weak. Hence, Eraykah is now weak because she has conformed to whoredom. Its sad that as a result of all the misogynistic representations of black women in the media that we can not separate what is and what is actually empowering. Just sad. Really.

yeah, the commentary from people--even friends of mine--has been really disappointing. I am a modest person who would never dream of walking around on a city street naked. that does not mean that i saw the video as destructive or "ho shit." definitely unfortunate that black people would ridicule another black person for their self-expression. but i can't say i'm surprised.

The video was deep. And I agree, I had no idea she was "stacked like the international house of pancakes" either!!! LOL. I was so impressed by her fearlessness. Hell, i'm not even comfortable with my body all the time and i'm still relatively young with no kids. I think it was amazing and inspirational because she really did that in such an empowering way in front of shocked viewers in Dallas. If people are stupid/ignorant/enslaved enough to think that a black woman's body is slutty or means she is on some "ho shit", then they really just don't get it. And obviously, those are the people who her video and song is aimed at in the first place. People like her are a little beyond some people's mental capacity and we just gotta shake our heads and let them stay shackled in their own minds. Either way, by the time that video ended, I felt free as hell! GET IT!!! *finger snap

So I might be a little different on this one...
I saw more in the video than most people mentioned via Twiter, blogs, etc. Some people watched the video and saw Badu evolve while I watched and saw her "Devolve". She went from workout clothes (which to me represent the desire to cultivate strength using modern methods) to nudity which expressed the existance of strength in its purest form and as God designed it. There is so much more to this video than the surface. At the same time I wouldnt call it "art" as a way to "excuse" her nudity. This video is truth. And the truth hurts.
"If it stings then there is probably some truth to it"~Belle
There must be a whole lot of truth to the idea that most people are scared of themselves and who they have the potential to be as well as the thought and execution of individuality. The ability to embrace oneself as you are and as you occur in nature is a gift. This gift is the only true threat to "group think" and societal manipulation. What Badu did in stripping down and getting shot was to commit the artists version of Revolutionary Suicide. Did Badu know that her video was going to get the reaction it did? Yes. She was probably well aware that it would come attached with character assassinations and labels of whoring and cries of "career suicide". The thing is that she beat those who would like to kill the revolution/evolution of her and those who follow her to the punch. In getting shot she blatently states "I know you'll assassinate me, but you can never kill me so long as my message lives" thus the words in blue blood and voice over post-death delivering in plain words the message intended. One small 2 minute video shoot for a revolutionary, One large step in the advancement of the revolution.

Revolution aside, I did notice her ass. If I wasnt so against kids I'd get knocked up to have a fatty like that! LoL. The way people were talking about this video I thought there'd be pubic hairs and nipples everywhere. Do people not watch tv these days? There's more nudity on the average tv show than in this video. Also, I think many people feel like Badu shouldnt have stripped down to get her point accross because they've bought into the idea that all we are as a culture is objectified items for sex and that's all we can be.
I had a conversation once where someone told me that we (black people) could never change the meaning of the N-word. I said "So you mean to tell me that a small group of white people can create a word, assign it meaning, and utilize it to demean our race, but we cant even slightly alter the meaning and spelling of a word?" Person replied "Yes" I responded promptly with "Nigga please" and kept it moving. Some people believe all they are is all there is. Those people cant get past a big booty and breasts because they're conditioned not to. #Shame and #Fail.
"I freed a lot of slaves. I'd have freed more had they known they were slaves"

I loved her back tat, I loved the fact that she has pride in her body, I LOVED the message of the video. I thought I was body proud, but I'm not sure I would strip naked in the street.

Still, that fact that people are talking about this video (good and bad) is a good thing. At the very least, it means that people are TALKING!

Theres something so ironic abt this vid in relations to group think. I think differently about the vid than everyone else, I view ART a little differently, I view her motives a little differently, and not swallowing up the idea of the massive message like everyone else is and I get made to feel like a dummy about it by some people.

The point of this vid for me is this, no matter where you see nakedness, and art gallery a strip club on television it will be talked about, no matter how "tasteful" the nakedness is. Those who do naked art no its effects, they are well aware of the effects of nakedness anywhere. Therefore regardless of if its done in the name of let me get this liberating message across, as most often nakedness is meant to express, there are those who will think differently about it.

Erykah is smart, she knew the risks of her nakedness. She knew that she had something to say, and to get it out there you have to say it loudly using a method that grabs attention. What better way to do that, than to take your clothes off. No matter how you slice dice and create it, your still naked whether your back has evolving or I'm a whore on it. My point is that lets not be so bamboozled by depth and artistry, that we also cant see a smart marketing strategy for a recording artist who also sells music and has an album coming out.

I like the song, and the video is ok, but there's no connection between the two. For me, that's a problem. I wonder why she chose this song to decide to send the message "being honest will get you killed"? Nothing about the song "Window Seat" even touches on group think. The video doesn't really move me one way or another (I'm not outraged, but I don't love it).

"My point is that lets not be so bamboozled by depth and artistry, that we also cant see a smart marketing strategy for a recording artist who also sells music and has an album coming out."

no doubt. my issue is more with those who miss the message completely to focus on the nudity and those who knee-jerk associate nudity with sex and those who automatically equate a black woman's nudity in any forum with whoring or a video chick.

i also think the backlash is absolutely hysterical in that YOU CAN"T SEE ANYTHING in the video. not a flash of boob or even a crack. for most of her walk away from the camera while wearing the panties, you can't even see the "nethridge" (ie, the good part, according to most dudes) of her bum. the camera gaze is kept intentionally high to keep from oversexualizing her. people are having this extraordinary reaction just to the IDEA of EBADU naked.

@morenadagain

i would argue that the song is about escape and the video is about escaping confines/ getting free. ie, same difference.

Well I don't have a problem with the video, at all. After all. I sat through ten minutes of acid induced hallucinations better known as Lady Gaga's latest video. However, I don't put Badu up on that "enlightened artist" pedestal just because she sings about ankhs, circles, apples and stuff.

Sorry, not I.

There's a lot of hypocrisy amongst the enlightened crowd. Video phone was like Trina and Kim, but Badu strips and it's art. Go figga. Yeah, there's a message behind it, I get it, I get it. But we gotta know where we stand. Either we like T&A or we don't, because if it's "hoe shit" when Beyonce does it, then is it the action or the person that's doing it?

i also think the backlash is absolutely hysterical in that YOU CAN"T SEE ANYTHING in the video.

I think it may be the public-ness of it. When I saw headline, I was thinking something more visually artistically nude like D'Angelo's video. I was literally thinking a female version of that. I think it's the walking down the street, ass out, that got people. People automatically associate public nudity with prostitution (or hoe shit), especially when on a public street (as opposed to a nudist beach, for example).

MoreAndAgain, I agree. The first time I watched it, I was like, 'what does this have to do with the song?' So in that way, the nudity was just distracting at first because i was confused and trying to connect the song and video.

On a side note, did anybody notice the dude in the red running behind her picking up her clothes? It kinda made me chuckle a bit, cause after a while he just gave up and looked a little perplexed like why is this chick still taking off her clothes?

@MoreAndAgain
I think a lot of the lyrics speak to "group think" or lack of individuality.
You can read the lyrics here:
http://www.directlyrics.com/erykah-badu-window-seat-lyrics.html
The whole song is about her desire to escape and be an individual and go it alone and how it conflicts with her need to be loved, to have "fans", for people to hear her, respect her, clap for her, someone to tell her to come back when she's trrying to leave this realm. How she has a desire to go beyond here (this life, world, space and time) to discover herself and the world and how it conflicts her desire to be where she is and do whats normal. She wants scotty to beam her up, but she needs somebody to come get her. There is the constant push and pull between what is natural and individual in her versus what is normal and what she "should" be/want.

This is reflected in the video with her starting with her clothes on (normal) but wanting to take them off (individual). There are points where she kind of looks around as if checking for other peoples reactions but she still moves forward toward who she wants/needs to be. There are points where she jogs a little toward the "goal/end" but then she slows down again. When she's taking her jacket off she goes for the zipper but then doesnt take it off. She toys with it and then finally moves ahead by taking it off. She adjusts her bra (though there is no need for it) because it's customary. that is how a bra is supposed to be. It shows her conditioning, it is her being/doing what is expected. Then she takes it off which is going against all customs. Simalraly she adjusts her panties. There is a symbolism in her actions that show the contradiction of wanting to be free but wanting to be "in/hot/loved" at the same time. There is no greater conflict in human existance than the conflict of the individual against societal manipulation/social norms. The conflict Badu describes in the song and illustrates in the video is the essential war between revolution/evolution/change and stagnation/death/norms/and groupthink.

I actually never viewed the video as art, but as a political statement. Even with everyone on Twitter talking about how it's about creativity within the music industry...I still think it's more political (as in American politics and not music industry politics) than anything. I had never listened to any audio or video surrounding the JFK incident, but I knew immediately that that's what was referenced in the beginning.

Only Badu really knows what the video truly means, though I think everyone's interpretation has validity. The title of her album is very fitting, regardless.

i never objected to "video phone". loved that ish and totally saw the "art" of it. but i think comparing whay Badu just did and what Bey does is entirely diff. p-popping is overtly sexual as is the reluctance to wear pants while performing and all the gyrating, hip shaking, and thrusting while wearing less and less, while singing about material goods, getting taped on "ya video phone", a desire for soldiers, nd pandering to the male ego.

Bey's had empowering songs here and again, but her image has ALWAYS been that of someone who's strings are getting pulled by someone else. i'd argue thst Badu has always come across as autonomous both in music and in image. part of the reason, she gets the benefit of the doubt by so many when it come to the video. it really is all about how she carries herself.

@Belle & Howard Girl

I didn't interpret the song that way (and I had already read the lyrics). To me it sounded like someone struggling with the idea of settling down (e.g.: "back and forth 'tween here and hustling"). So she wants to be with "you" but she has to go hustle. It was filled with the "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and "familiarity breeds contempt" type of clichés. Until she finally decides "I wanna be here." But, then she's not sure again, so she asks Scotty to beam her up.

If you view this as art or as a political statement then I highly suggest that you get your vision checked. To say that the video is non sequitur in relation to the song is an understatement. The problem is that we have so many vapid artists like Trey Songz, Ludacris, and Beyonce killing the airwaves that when someone does something a little different all of a sudden they are deep.

I've seen Badu in concert. I enjoy her music. But that's about it. Please don't think that because she got naked in a video that she is now making a political statement. D'Angelo did the same thing and look where it got him; on the police blotter. And for the love of God, please do not think that because she adjusted her panties that it means she is uncomfortable with some perceived societal norm. It just meant that that shit was riding up the crack of her ass.

Enjoy it because she is thick as hell. That's about it.

@Belle,

I get you. I just don't feel that Badu, and other Neo Soul artists, are really that deep. I remember everybody thought Mos Def was really conscious until they discovered ALL his children by ALL those women when he ran off and married that chick.

I don't think Erykah is that deep. I think she's got a great schtick as an artist that allows her to get a pass. And from where I set, it's all the same. At least to me.

Soldier/Other Side of the Game, one is glorifying the hustling, the other is "praying on it" but they are still with hustlers
Me myself and I/ Tyrone

I'm sure I can draw more comparisons, it's really not all that different, the packaging.marketing.branding are different. Oh, and Erykah sings about ankhs and dates more "conscious" rappers.

"D'Angelo did the same thing and look where it got him; on the police blotter."

nakedness didn't get him on a police blotter. spitting on some chick in a gas station, drugs, and alcohol, then soliciting a prostitute for head (perhaps not in that order) are responsible for that.

@missunderstood

i don't even know where to begin. badu the same as bey? really? i can't even fathom how you can arrive at that.

questioning the depth of Badu just baffles me. the woman pours her heart out album after album. the other does her best to be a non confrontational, never rock the boat, pop robot. how are they even in the same sentence? the difference between glorifying soliders and struggling with the morality of being with one makes a HUGE difference.

ill give you Me Myself and I and Tyrone. MMI is one of Bey's more empowering songs. She does have a few, as I acknowledged above.

the VAST differences between them are much deeper than the marketing, branding, packaging.

@Darius
And Dr. King just had a dream because the negro was sleepy! lol. There is symbolism in action whether it was intended or not it is there. A person may not conciously adjust their dress in public, but it is a sign that they are uncomfortable in it. (whether the discomfort was momentary or lasting is neither here nor there.) The wonderful thing about Badu/Art is you are free to belive she just had a wedgie while I am free to see the potential for deeper meaning.
D'Angelo was bucket Naked asking a woman "How does it feel" not the same as Badu shedding clothes as she asks for a window seat to be alone and explore the world followed by asking for someone to need her and come get her.

@MissUnderstood
Realistically speaking most (if not all) people aren't "that deep". Depth isnt a concious effort. It exists and is created just because. Those who seek to be deep usually drown. Those who find themselves in the depths usually didnt intend to get/be there. They just did what came naturally and that lead them to being "deep". What differentiates Badu from Bey is the thought (and culmination of knowldege required) behind the lyrics. It doesnt take much thought/knowldege to ask him to put a ring on it, but it takes a little bit more than average (ie:GED) knowledge to ask him to put an Ankh on it. You'd have to know what an Ankh is, what it represents and why one would even want one to represent the relationship in the first place.

I'm not saying Badu is the deepest ocean, but Bey aint too much deeper than duck shit.

@Darius

My views actually have nothing to do with her being naked and everything with her assassination at the end. The "just because it isn't like [insert mainstream artist here] doesn't mean it's deep..." argument is tired.

I am not saying she's the same. I don't believe they are that different. But I believe that the reason Badu is given such a pass is because of what she sings about. Badu gets glorified when if she sung about lesser stuff, she'd be vilified for it. That's why I'm drawing the comparison to Beyonce.

Let me articulate this better. Badu is a weed smoking, multiple father children having, eclectic artist who now has walked around like a brickhouse in a bra and panties in public. But, since she's so "deep" and so "enlightened" and so anhky she gets a pass.

"Let me articulate this better. Badu is a weed smoking, multiple father children having, eclectic artist who now has walked around like a brickhouse in a bra and panties in public. But, since she's so "deep" and so "enlightened" and so anhky she gets a pass."

the only really damning thing in that statement is the "multiple father children having." she's considered deep because she bares her soul and tends to move people with her music moreso than inspire them to pop their ass. she challenges people to think. she was in her bra and panties for a reason other than selling sex, something Bey Bey is yet to do even while judgmentally singing about how flawed the concept is. everytime a woman takes off her clothes, it's not sexual.

badu sings about universal emotions such as the struggle to do better, to grow, EVOLVE. she gets to the heart of emotions. that is why she is referred to as deep. she has a long and consistent track record since about 96 (mainstream) of doing so. Bey's still shoving a diana ross-esque facade of perfection down our throats while hiding her personality (she must. no one is that dry. no one.)

@Belle, that's my point. If Badu sung pop music, she'd be vilified for everything else. If Beyonce could actually write songs, and they were of substance, she'd be given a pass for the popping and grinding.