American singer Erykah Badu causes controversy with naked video at JFK assassination spot

By Daily Mail Reporter

Starts off tame... Erykah Badu parks her car in Dealey Plaza and begins the video for Window Seat fully clothed


American singer Erykah Badu has caused controversy by stripping off in the street and pretending to be shot near the site of John F Kennedy's assassination.


*** Scroll down to watch Video ****


The Grammy-winner, 39, is fully-clothed at the beginning of the promo for her new single Window Seat and ends up lying completely naked on the pavement at the climax of the video.

The guerilla video was shot in just one take in the famous Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas on March 13 without any filming permits.

As Badu walks through the plaza disrobing, various onlookers are seen gawking at her.

Towards the end of the video a gunshot-like sound is heard, and Badu collapses to the ground.

The beginning of the video features Badu driving a white car with the famous radio commentary of Kennedy's fateful visit to Dallas.

Despite the public outrage, Dallas police confirmed no one had made any official complaints and as no officer witnessed the indecent exposure, the singer wouldn't be charged with any offence.


The disrobing begins: Off come the jacket and the shoes...

A Dallas native herself, Badu's decision to pretend to be shot on the same site as the former U.S. President in 1963 has left many locals offended.

John Crawford, president of the non-profit group Downtown Dallas, said: 'It's in poor taste and poor judgment, in my opinion.'

Explaining the video, Badu said: 'I tied it in a way that compared the assassination to the character assassination one would go through after showing his or her self completely. That's exactly the action I wanted to display.'

When asked what she thought about the young children present in the street who would have seen her naked, she said: 'I tried to telepathically communicate my good intent to them. That's all I could do, and I hoped they wouldn't be traumatised


Fear of arrest: Badu's directors had bail money ready just in case she was arrested for public indecency


Directing duo Chike and Coodie admitted they had bail money ready just in case the singer was arrested for public indecency.

Chike told MTV: 'I just remember hearing a siren, or every minute looking up and seeing some kind of sheriff's car or something. So I was like, "This is gonna be interesting."

'Her contingency plan was get arrested. She was big on doing it. We had bail money and everything. I think she really wanted to get arrested, even make a bigger message.'

Coodie said several people threatened to call the police, but obviously didn't.


Shock factor: Badu stunned onlookers as she removed her bra and knickers in the street

He said: 'It was nothing but two or three people, it was nothing that crazy at all. There was that one lady, though, that was really crazy, she was like, "That was so offensive."'

If Badu had been caught in the act by a police officer, she could have been fined up to $2,000 or be jailed for 180 days.

The single comes from Badu's fifth studio album New Amerykah Part Two (Return Of The Ankh).

Badu leapt to fame in the late Nineties with her debut album Baduizm, which included the worldwide hit song On & On, which clinched the singer a Grammy award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1998.


Controversy: Badu falls to the ground naked amid sounds of a gunshot - near the area where John F Kennedy was shot in 1963


source: dailymail