Erykah Badu's dubious 'JFK' striptease video

In her new music video, Badu loosely recreates President John F. Kennedy's assassination — minus clothing. High art or execrable taste?

Is Erykah Badu's new video too racy?
(Image credit: ErykahBadu.com)

In Erykay Badu's "controversial" new video for her single "Window Seat," the singer walks through Dallas' Dealey Plaza — the site of President John F. Kennedy's 1963 assassination — gradually shedding her clothing and getting "shot" in the head. Irked Dallas police say Badu's "guerrilla" film crew failed to get permits and, while some commentators suggest the video is a "sensationalistic exploitation of a national tragedy" (albeit good "marketing"), others see metaphorical depth in the clip. By "shedding her skin...," speculates San Francisco Chronicle's Zennie Abraham," Badu is apparently commenting on society's tendency to "destroy anyone who would seek to be who they are outside the cultural bounds assembled for them." Badu herself says she hoped to inspire "groupthink." Watch the video (nudity is blurred) to find out:

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