Remember when Wyclef released "Perfect Gentleman" (a.k.a. "The Stripper Song") and then put out a video in which he danced in a club full of, um, strippers and then did yoga with them? It may not have been groundbreaking, but at least it made some sense.
Now, Wyclef is back with another Save-A-Stripper campaign, this time in the form of a slightly more melodic composition called "Sweetest Girl" (a.k.a. "Dollar Bill"), featuring Akon and LilWayne. I would call Wyclef (and his humanoid doppelganger T-Pain) a huge sucker for always falling in love with strippers, but let me check myself lest I wreck myself — it seems I was wrong about this song. After watching the video (check it out for yourself here), I discovered that "Sweetest Girl" is not about pole-dancers after all. It’s about inhumane deportation centers and unethical immigration policies!
For real though? So the girl he went to high school with and used to make him "do the hula hoop around the gym" has since been interned in a camp and can’t get back into the country? The same girl who "would rather be up in the club" than on "the strip"? I guess if America is the club, and the Third World is the strip…
No, sorry, ‘Clef, I am not buying this one. The only thing that makes this video at all understandable is that Akon is from Senegal, Wyclef is from Haiti, and Weezy is a self-proclaimed "Martian" — so maybe deportation is an issue close to their hearts. But even within the absurd allegory, Wyclef’s role as a human rights activist/MI:5-style secret agent seems sort of odd since he doesn’t really even help the girl until she throws a Molotov cocktail at a tent, at which point a stunt double steps in and beats up a few dudes. A bit haphazard for a professional! The "official montage" is even more confusing, especially when it casually mixes high school yearbook photos with 9/11 conspiracy theories.
This whole thing reminds with of the cult classic Fear of a Black Hat, a This is Spinal Tap- style mockumentary about a rap group called NWH. Throughout the film, "Ice Cold" uses ridiculous political explanations to justify for all of NWH’s explicit tracks, like "Booty Juice"and "P.U.S.S.Y (apparently it stands for "Political Unrest Stabilize Society. Yes."). Is Wyclef engaging in a similar joke, or am I missing something? If not, can you think of other videos that try to make songs into something they’re not? Share your thoughts below…
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The lyrics are fairly on point by all of them, I thought. However, the video/the beat makes it all too distracting.
A great song but I’m sure it won’t air on MTV before 22.00. Saaad..
did anyone really believe Kanye’s diamond are forever was REALY about the African diamond trade???? Listen to the song and watch the video.. totally different.
I just watched the video. I’m totally confused. The song IS about a stripper right? Not about immigration? The video is also just so weid. Who is faux-Wyclef beating up? If he’s a guard, why is there a guard on the refugee side? And why only one?
Chris, you must be blind! Wyclef has put together another masterpiece here. If you can’t see that, or understand the video, you should stick to main stream reviews because you lack the intelligence to comment on a rare jewel that is Wyclef Jean.
i jus wached da video and 4 all da ppl that dnt lyk it freak off its so great and the beat is awsome so if u dnt lyk this song stop posting mean coments it jus means u want attention if u really hate this song u should already be smart enough 2 stop posting mean comments i jus want every1 to know that this song is AWSOME!!!
Hahaha..Hilarious..u love what you say and how you say it. Totally agree. lol
I just heard this song for the first time a couple of days ago and was like damn. This is sick…I’ve listened to it like 40 times in two days…HOWEVER. This video is another instance of people trying to say too much. Good concept, wrong song. This is too smooth a song for such a political statement video like this.
The song is basically about hustling, doing ur best to survive. its for anyone in an unfavourable condition doing their best to survive.
Strippers are used because the stripper represents the struggle.The girl that was an angel but living conditions pushed her to a strip club grinding for a dollar is an analogy for hustlers and anyone down on their luck doing their best even illegal things to survive. Thats what the song is about.
I know this cause i used to hustle in the streets.
Hello people! The song is not about a stripper. It’s about a prostitute….Check out the lyrics. “closed legs don’t get fed..” or “she used to run track back in high school, now she tricks off the track right by school.” The mention how “pimping” has become harder for the actual “pimps” because the prostitutes would rather be stripping in a club, making more money and keeping all of it instead of giving a cut to their pimp. The video is a weak attempt to make a political statement and has no strong connection to the song. Too bad though. It’s still a good song despite the confusing and misguided video.
Wyclef recently attended a listening party for his new album hosted by digital entertainment company TouchTunes. Check it out:
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=799699&sourceType=3
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20071126005175&newsLang=en
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It’s the best song…But what does Wayne mean when he says “now she tricks off the track right by school”?
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