“Group Think” – New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ankh

For the past 13 years since the release of her debut album Baduizm Erykah Badu has been astounding audiences with not only her voice but also her amazing intellectual and emotional depth. She has done the incredible by crossing genres and producing music in the areas of R & B, hip-hop, jazz…even rock! Erykah is an amazing talent and a deep, deep individual.

Her latest album, New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ankh has stayed true to form making people think and causing some controversy along the way. This eclectic and melodic album is a follow-up to its more sinister cousin New Amerykah Part I: World War 4, which was released in 2008. Part II proves to be just as eclectic as Part I, which included fusion, funk, soul, neo-soul, and some hip-hop.

“Window Seat” is a song from Erykah’s new project and the video to this song is causing a lot of controversy. In this video Erykah walks down Dealey Plaza towards the area where John F. Kennedy was assassinated. So what is so controversial about that you ask? Well, while walking down this public street (during busy midday) Erykah begins to disrobe and eventually ends up nude at the place where Kennedy was killed. If that isn’t enough, this is all shot with real pedestrians walking along the same street. That’s correct; extras weren’t used in this shot. So you can imagine the amazement of people seeing this woman walking down the street taking all of her clothes off. One guy even follows behind her  picking up pieces of her clothing as they fall to the ground.

When Erykah gets to the place where Kennedy was shot, a gunshot is heard and you see Erykah fall. The camera then goes in for a shot where you see the words “Group Think” bleeding in blue ink from her forehead. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal Erykah was asked the meaning of “Group Think” . Her explanation was that it is something that “causes you to bury what you think inside to please a group.” The song “Window Seat” is about people liberating themselves from themselves. As Erykah further explained the shedding of the clothes in the video represented the shedding of baggage and emotions.

Whether you are a fan of Erykah or not, her music will definitely make you stop and take inventory of what is going on in your own mind and in your life. New Amerykah Part II: Return of the Ankh is now out in stores. Pick it up at you local record retail shop or get it from iTunes.