Make Your Ass Clap or Ride a Bike?

There is this new singer out of Leeds, United Kingdom by the name of Corinne Bailey Rae. I am not sure if I should classify her sound as soul, R&B, neosoul or Pop but her debut song, "Cput Your Records" is a little boring to me. However, the reason I'm talking about her actually has nothing to do with her talent or her debut song or even music classification (that could be another post), but rather her music video. As many of you are aware if you watch BET or MTV and check out a rap, hip hop, or several of the "black" music videos, they can be easily distinguished by the black women dancing in the video with hardly any clothes on. And their dancing leaves nothing to the sexual imagination. The girls gyrate and shake their asses like strippers or more commonly known among black men and the hip hop generation as making their ass clap. Well, lodged smack between these ass videos comes Rae's video for her new debut. Was she shaking her ass? No. Was she dancing? No, not really, unless you count swaying and shaking as dancing. Miss Rae was riding a bike. Riding a bike?! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, music conosouirres, she is riding a bike through a grassy meadow. Her video made me think about the way black women are portrayed in music videos. They are either highly sexualized or almost sexually dead. Its like one extreme or the other. Did her video producers or Rae herself think that bike riding in a video was her only option? Or perhaps I am simply missing some great artistic pursuit here? Its possible, though not likely. Its just a video (somewhat boring video) of a black girl singing and riding through a meadow. Or maybe riding a bike is sexual? Hmmm.. Naaah! It just made me ask the question - are black women in music videos forced to choose between clapping their asses or riding on bikes??? One of my favs for her beauty, style and orinality, Kelis, had this to say on the topic when recently asked by SPIN magazine for their June issue. "Will I clap my ass in video? Ugh, no". I think her comment sums it up quite nicely. If you want to read more from Kelis, buy the SPIN magazine.

I don't have an answer here people. I just thought it was interesting point to ponder especially as we consider how black people are portrayed in the media. If you'd like to buy Rae's CD, click here. Kelis' CD isn't due out until late July/early August 2006.