Lady Gaga is infamously known for finding new and innovative ways to push buttons and cross lines vis-à-vis her unpredictable and rather naughty performances. However, she usually carries this out all in the spirit of art, creativity, and freedom of expression, generally for a humanistic cause, like gender equality or celebration of individuality. R. Kelly, on the other hand, had his career as a bestselling R&B artist tainted due to that notorious urination sex tape of 2002 and the subsequent allegations of child pornography.
TMZ has recently leaked a clip of Gaga‘s and R. Kelly’s scrapped music video for their song, “Do What U Want”. The two performed this song back in November when Gaga hosted Saturday Night Live. As if that performance wasn’t creepy or uncomforable enough to watch, the duo found a way to make the song even more brazenly vulgar, by hiring celebrity photographer/ fellow alleged sexual predator, Terry Richardson, to direct the corresponding music video. Affectionately known in the media for reported sexual exploitation and inappropriate conduct towards various models he has worked with, as well as risqué photoshoots with underage girls, I presume Richardson seemed like a logical fit to direct a video that promotes such sexually deviant behavior.
In the video clip, R. Kelly plays a doctor about to “perform surgery” on his patient, Gaga. Before putting her under anesthesia, Gaga‘s character asks, “Will I ever be able to walk again?”, to which the seedy Dr. Kelly replies, “Yes, if you let me do whatever I want with your body. I’m putting you under, and when you wake up, you’re going to be pregnant.” If this is not a direct metaphor for rape, I don’t know what is. As if Robin Thicke‘s tasteless song “Blurred Lines” wasn’t bad enough, Kelly and Gaga somehow found an even more candid way to promote consent-less sex.
A source from The New York Post commented, “Gaga had a video directed by an alleged sexual predator, starring another sexual predator, with the theme, ‘I’m going to do whatever I want with your body’? It was literally an ad for rape.” It is clear by now sexual exploration is an integral part of a Gaga song or live performance. However, with such a large fanbase of impressionable youth, Gaga, and all other artists for that matter, should focus on promoting safe and healthy sexual practices, for example that it’s never okay to violate someone while they are unconscious.
Gaga blamed the delay, and eventual cancellation, of the video’s release on time constraints and “those who have betrayed me” during her recovery from hip surgery in a recent angry post on her Little Monsters website. For one, I am glad this video has been scrapped; it would have only glorified Richardson‘s and Kelly‘s rape scandals, aka unnecessary publicity.
If you can stomach it, here is a clip of the scrapped music video, released by TMZ:
And here is their dry-hump-filled rendition of “Do What U Want” from when Gaga hosted SNL: