Ok, here we go. Initially after watching Erykah Badu’s new video on Saturday morning, I thought like most men did “wow, what a nice ass!”. Then eventually I settled down and replayed it to appreciate the true message and there was a lot of it to appreciate. The song is great and the concept of the video is even greater. Basically, from what I gather, Ms. Badu’s goal is to make people aware of the concept of ‘GROUPTHINK’. Simply defined, GROUPTHINK is going along with the masses without thinking as an individual.

Here are some more definitions of GROUPTHINK, as well as commentary on the video from E. Badu and her followers on Twitter. For those not on Twitter, Fatbellybella is Erykah Badu’s screen name.

@moneyfollowsme @fatbellybella groupthink defends current myths, because they know that a challenge 2 their beliefs means danger 4 the group & their safety

@PoeticBluKitti @fatbellybella #GROUPTHINK People who follow whatever story or policy is handed to them without question.

@amanidakar Honestly I do not understand the concept of the video in relation to the lyrics (groupthink vs. escapism) @fatbellybella

@fatbellybella so it is true.being honest CAN get u assassinated.your character,spirt,& sometimes physically.interesting. what drives this? keep dialoging.

@fatbellybella funny , i thought i was outta shape thus encouraging others toward self love .. but they think im showin off . lol . the irony . sheeeezus!

@fatbellybella funny thing is , the physical nudity is nothing lol . i been naked all along in my words actions and deeds . thats the real vulnerable place

@fatbellybella i remember tweeting that day.”okay here goes nothing” i felt like i was going2 do something life threatening.1nce hoody unzip-no tur’n back

@fatbellybella heard people yelling diff things @ me but i held my head up and kept moving.there were children there.i prayed they wouldnt b traumatized…

@fatbellybella GROUPTHINK is walking up and yelling “crucify him” without knowing anything about him or IT

Fair:
Fair #1
In the video, Ms. Badu returns to the scene of JFK’s assassination in Dallas, Texas and walks from her car to a local park. During her 2 to 3 minute walk she removes all of her clothing. Right down to the end when she’s completely naked in front of everyone who was out that day, including several young children. I say fair because she wanted to do it and she did it. Anytime someone is expressing themselves how they want to and not thinking with the group, I’m all for it.

Fair #2
At the end of the video she is figuratively assassinated by those who don’t understand her and her blood spells out GROUPTHINK. Genius; however you want to slice it.

Fair #3
The video has opened up much needed dialogue such as this one on a variety of topics. It’s rare these days that anything captures our attention long enough that we discuss it for more than an hour. It seems Ms. Badu, her critics, and her supporters, are all learning through out this process and that’s always a good thing. If that was her goal then mission accomplished.

Foul:
Foul #1
I believe stripping in front of little kids is out of bounds regardless of how creative or soulful you think you are. I can only wonder how those in support of it would feel if they were at a park on a Sunday with their kids or siblings and a grown man began taking his clothes off in the name of art. You would probably kill him or at least want to. But somehow because it’s Erykah Badu, creator of all things deep, she gets a pass?

It’s no fault of Erykah’s but I believe she is the beneficiary of the same kind of thinking she wants to eliminate; GROUPTHINK. Here group thinks that all things “soulful” and “creative” should be honored. It can’t be wrong. If it’s popular, like a Beyonce, Jay-Z or Lady Gaga, then we can crucify it. Then it’s hedonistic, then it’s demonic, then it’s too vulgar for our children to see. But for as long as you have dreadlocks or a good message then strip away.

Foul #2
The video had absolutely positively nothing to do with the song. It was a genius song about love and she made a genius video for it about GROUPTHINK. It’s her song, her video, and her budget so she has every right to do as she pleases. However, I can’t help but suggest a publicity stunt was involved here. I had no clue Ms. Badu’s latest album was to be released tomorrow until I watched the video which I probably wouldn’t have watched if I never saw a screen shot of her half naked body.

Closing statement:
I’m for the video. I love it and I’ll definitely be buying Erykah Badu’s new album tomorrow. However, I feel the same pass she is being given should be awarded to anyone in the future who decides to take it where she took it. To constantly criticize the Britney Spears’ of the world for artistic expression and then praise the Erykah Badu’s is not only GROUPTHINK but it’s hypocritical.

Furthermore, an adult being naked in front of kids is something I’m not sure I agree with. As a mother, a role model and a responsible member of society I think rather than actually going through with process, she could have utilized modern technology to make it look like she was naked in the park. To really do it and then hope the kids aren’t traumatized, I believe is a bit ignorant.

Lastly, there was some random guy in red following her and picking up all the clothes as she took them. I wonder if he also “got the drawls”.

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Shortcut To Greatness*

By Phella

More than ever we are all striving to be great. More than ever we are falling short. More and more of we are settling for mediocrity, short cuts, and even worse – cheating. At the gym a few minutes ago I saw ESPN scroll a series of updates about Mark McGwire finally admitting to using steroids for the better part of a decade. I wasn’t shocked or stunned but it just shamed me. First, as a former baseball fan I remember watching Mark’s race with light skinned Sammy for the home run record. I remember staying up late every night to see if he hit another one; which often he did. I remember him being glorified all over TV with things like the “Chicks Dig The Long Ball” Nike campaign (see below).

Secondly I remember during the congressional hearings being one of the few people willing to give McGwire the benefit of the doubt. Like most fans of history, I’m a sucker for greatness. If you tell me Kanye West’s rhymes are being written by someone else, I probably won’t believe you. If you tell me it really was the shoes that made Michael Jordan great and not his ridiculous work ethic and competitiveness, I’d say you were lying. Now to hear McGwire and the rest of these players come out and confess to cheating it makes me wonder. Wonder what kids have to look up to that will make them aspire for true greatness. These guys cheated and as a result were able to provide a great living for themselves and their families. Isn’t that every little boys dream? So why not move that pack, or rob that old lady? Why not cheat on that test?

Even more striking is that guys who we believe to have been clean have in large part been ignored by the media. Take for instance Ken Griffey Jr. who most baseball purists consider to be the greatest “clean” player has been off the mainstream radar for the past 6 plus years due to several injuries while his roid taking counterparts have gotten all the sponsorships, endorsements and large contracts. So maybe he should have hit up Balco too, no? No. It may not seem like it but there’s a reward to having morals.

Yes cheaters, sleazy reality tv personalities, and  made up pop stars get the instant gratification while the rest of us who strive for honest greatness get left in the dust. But look how often they get caught with their pants down. The ones who never get caught face an even worse fate. They go to the grave knowing in their heart of hearts that they lived false lives. I want to be great. I want the money, the cars, and the hoes, I suppose. What I want more than that is to be able to be at peace with myself. I’ve taken shortcuts to greatness before and it never worked. If it did work temporarily, it came crashing down faster than I could ever imagine and I was left feeling however Mark McGwire must feel tonight.

I like to think myself a semi-intelligent person. I have a decent idea of who to associate with and what to do to attain the aforementioned money, cars, and hoes; as soon as this week if I wanted. Unfortunately, some of those things don’t align with the moral standards I’ve set for myself. So at the risk of sounding holier than thou, I’ll continue to take the long winding road to greatness. The one with red lights, roadblocks, rough winds, potholes and every other stumbling block you can imagine. At least I know when I arrive at greatness, no one will be able to put an asterisk by it.

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Levi Maestro’s (MaestroKnows) thoughts on the music industry.

I couldn’t have said it any better myself. Anybody agree? Beg to differ? Have an alternate view?

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Props to any artist out there who use the internet sparingly or only when it’s beneficial to themselves or society. Two of our generations greatest rappers seem to be turning into internet clowns these days. This week alone, Joe Budden has been involved in 5 or 6 “beefs”. Fabolous isn’t as bad but Twitter has reduced him from the next possible Jay-Z to Mr.Trending Topic. And tonight the worst of Joe and the worst of Fab both met halfway.

Is this what it’s come to?

One day:

Few days later:

One day:

Few days later:
Fab:

Joe:

Bonus:
Some Philly cat threatens Joe over some more shit he popped on Twitter.

And the winner is:

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I’m at the kitchen table watching Brett Favre make his much anticipated return to Green Bay. The other day I got to see another 40 year old guy up close doing his thing, Jay-Z at 1st Mariner Bank Arena in Baltimore. I think it’s surreal how these guys are dominating their respective fields at an age when most would be shopping for rocking chairs. I think the formula to aging well is passion + wisdom + fearlessness.

Passion: When you have things that you are extremely passionate about, you will never want the feeling to end that you get from said thing. You will constantly give yourself new reasons to revisit said thing, even when logic says otherwise. Logic says Jay-Z shouldn’t be rapping. Logic says Brett Favre shouldn’t be playing football. Logic even says I shouldn’t be writing blogs because I’m a private person and being too open with my words might be bad business. Forget that. You can try to suppress your passion all you want, it’s still right there.

Wisdom: The wiser you are, the better you will be at reinventing yourself. People get in trouble when they try to do 2002 things in 2009. The world is moving too fast these days to hold on to any ideology or belief for too long. It’s better to view yourself as an empty vessel and adapt new ways of doing things, tapping into history only when absolutely necessary. Jay-Z and Favre are great at that.

Fearlessness: This is not only the key to aging well but also the key to everything in life, in my opinion. Fear is the number one enemy of progress. The older you get the more fear presents itself. When you’re young and full of blind ambition you just do stuff. You take risks and you’re oblivious to the possible dangers involved. Then as you get older and wiser your mind starts to say “don’t do that”, “don’t go there”, “you may want to rethink that.” It’s good to police ones self but not to the point of stopping your progress. Someone once told me “a boat is safest at the dock but that’s not what it’s made for”.

At 22 I know far more than I did at 18. It’s a gift and a curse. My naivete and ignorance back then got me into a little bit of trouble but it also gave me some great victories. So yeah…..I think I’m gonna do something young and ignorant this week to find that fountain of youth. Hide your daughters.

-Phella

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