Rihanna's music video for
her excellent new song "American Oxygen" is now available on YouTube.
Previously released as an exclusive on Tidal, the video incorporates tons of footage of years past, juxtaposed with more
recent events, to create a political narrative about America's historical
tragedies and their modern-day echoes. The song's slower tempo matches its
solemn subject matter, with lyrics like "Everything breath I breathe /
Chasing this American dream / We sweat for a nickel and a dime / Turn it into
an empire." Of course, the very title evokes the tragic last words of Eric Garner, as well as the awful murder of an Oklahoma man by a reserve deputy last week.
"American Oxygen" is from Rihanna's upcoming eighth
album, which doesn't have an official title as of yet, though it's currently
being referred to as #r8. The singer has released plenty of teasers of songs on
social media, leaving clues like breadcrumbs for hungry fans and journalists
across Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. She's also released
and "BBHMM," in between trotting the globe to promote her animated
movie, Home, and maybe even a teaser of yet another song for a Dior ad. And, there's surely more to come.