Lily Allen likes to laugh. But, like, she not doing it out of humor. Lily Allen likes to laugh at the sheer absurdity of celebrity, pop culture, and the cycle she knows she's a part of, too. The title track off her upcoming album, Sheezus, features a brand new video, and it's chock-full of tongue-in-cheek, "haha" commentary.
The chorus alone name-checks every pop queen under the sun:
"Riri isn't scared of Katy Perry's roaring / Queen B's gone back to the drawing / Lorde smells blood, yeah, she's about to slay you / Kid ain't one to fuck with / And she's only on her debut / We're all watching Gaga / LOL ha ha / Dying for the art / So, really, she's a martyr / Second best will never cut it for the divas / Give me that crown, bitch / I wanna be Sheezus"
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Despite the obvious similarities to Kanye West's Yeezus, "Sheezus" features zero digs at West. Instead, she's using it as a platform for mouthing off at pop culture. Instead of sing-speaking her frustration, she assumes the role of early rap provocateurs who name-checked pop stars and other artists on the reg. Eminem famously took jabs at Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera early in his career. Allen's not insulting these women — she's taking a temperature of the scene. If there's anyone she thinks we should be wary of, it's Lorde. (She's apparently coming for all our throats.)
But, that's not where the brilliance of the video ends. It's no coincidence the editing here resembles the video styles of M.I.A. or Santigold, and both of these artists are known for shamelessly calling out the B.S. in the industry. Allen's "Sheezus" is a conglomerate of all these and then some. Period.