Huh Say What Kanye?

Love Lockdown-

It's kind of a sexy title for a song. It evokes a certain mood, thats for sure. I love the djembe-esque drums. I definitely want to shake the junk pregnancy has implanted into my gelatinous trunk. So imagine how excited I was that the video came on vh1 the other day! I was definitely ready to see some fabulousness. After all, I secretly have a spot in my heart for Kanye. Anyone remember him spouting about how President Bush hates black people at the big concert for Hurricane Katrina relief? That cemented it in my brain, he's a total funbag! I also really loved "Stronger" because when I first heard it after his speaking fiasco I thought "This dude is automatically on the CIA's terrorist list." After all, any dissenter of any sort makes it onto that list- look at James Taylor! I mean really. "Cats in the Cradle" dude? Really?

So imagine my shock and dismay when I finally view this video. It was beyond comprehension. It was totally baffling. The first part of this video is all white and silver and austere and he's dressed in white too, mumbling the words to the song. Then as you're sort of getting used to that, out of nowhere comes a tribe of Africans. Like hundreds of Africans, in battle and banging on djembe's and dancing and covered in paint. If that totally doesn't go with this video about losing the one you love and being stagnanted because of it, lets bring in some naked chicks in glow in the dark paint with tribal designs all over their bodies. Let's have them grope each other a bunch and lets have what looks like a creepy shaman/dead warrior dude in the weird weird white house with Kanye clutching his head.

The video ends with Kanye on the couch still mumbling. After we've had all these crazy shots of African soldiers and African dancers and drummers and naked chicks painted up in neon paint, lets just end this in the same wierdo austere way. I watched the video three different times by myself and decided to watch it with Nolan, because he's far less literal than me. Maybe HE would get it. He just watched it quietly with his eyebrows knitted together, chewing his lip, and afterward he says, much to my dismay, "What on earth was THAT about?" Well that sunk my heart. I was COUNTING on him being able to give me some sort of explanation. So he says "Well, lets look it up, and see what Kanye says it's about." Oh. Good idea. Doh.

So we read several explanations from Kanye- none of which make sense at all. The whole Love Lockdown album is about his break up with a long time girlfriend and it's meant to be his most personal and explore different aspects of his talent. Ok, thats fine. Then he talked about the video, which is apparently a tributary to Patrick Bateman's character in American Psycho. Wait, say that again. Huh? He liked the aesthetic of the movie and how the character was obsessed with order and labels and wanted to convey that in this video. Well, what the heck does that have to do with an entire African tribe being in your video about being obsessed with your ex? I mean, what? Why are they banging drums, dancing crazy war dances, Depicting battles, and why are there shamans in the house with you being creepy, and why are there glow in the dark naked girls feeling each other up?

Is this art? Am I this out of touch? I mean, I don't remember any African tribes in American Psycho and I'm certainly baffled by the whole way that that fits into the theme of this video. Someone make me understand. Help me find the way to comprehend this weirdness. Here's the lyrics too. You try and tell me how these go with that video.

Im not lovin you, the way I wanted to
What I had to do, had to run from you
Im in love with you, but the vibe is wrong
And that haunted me, all the way home
So ya never know, never never know
Never know enough, til its over love
Til we lose control, system overload
Screamin no no no, no no
I aint lovin you, the way I wanted to
See I wanna move, but cant escape from you
So I keep it low, keep a secret code
So everybody else dont have to know

So keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down (3x)
You keep ya love locked down, you lose

Im not lovin you, the way I wanted to
I cant keep my cool, so I keep it true
I got somethin to lose, so I gotta move
I cant keep myself, and still keep you too
So I keep in mind, when Im on my own
Somewhere far from home, In the danger zone
How many times did it take til I finally got through
you lose, you lose
I aint lovin you, the way I wanted to
See I had to go, see I had to go
No more wastein time, we cant wait for life
which is wastin time, wheres the finish line
kanye west lyrics on www.lyrics-celebrities.anekatips.com

So keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down (3x)
You keep ya love locked down, you lose

Im not lovin you, the way i wanted to
I met no one new, I got no one new
No I said im through, but got love for you
But im not lovin you, the way I wanted to
Gotta keep it goin, keep the lovin goin
Keep it on a roll, only god knows
Am I into you, baby im confused
You choose, you choose
I aint lovin you, the way I wanted to
Way I got to go, I dont need you
I been on this road, too many times before
I aint lovin you, the way I wanted to

So keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Keepin ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Keepin ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Keepin ya love locked down, you lose
So keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Keepin ya love locked down, ya love locked down
If you keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Keepin ya love locked down, you lose

Peaceout-

Chatterbox Sara