Sunday, November 29, 2009



"Smack My Bitch Up" was the thirteenth single released by the British Big Beat band The Prodigy in 1997. The song was highly controversial because of its lyrics, title and music video. It seems to promote violence against women. The lyrics "Change my pitch up / Smack my bitch up" are repeated through the whole song. The song was banned by the BBC. The video, on the other hand was as controversial and popular as the song itself. The film depicts a night out in the city filmed from a first-person perspective, portraying drinking and driving, snorting cocaine, violence, vandalism, nudity and sex. The unedited version also includes a scene of heroin use and a hit and run incident. The protagonist takes a stripper home and has sex with her. As the stripper leaves with her stuff, the protagonist glances in the mirror, is revealed to be a woman, and passes out on the bed.

Though universally banned from television, massive demands on MTV eventually had them relent and show the video, but only after midnight and following an MTV News warning. In mid-2002, the full unedited version of this video was aired on MTV2 as part of a special countdown showing the most controversial videos ever to air on MTV. This countdown was only shown late at night because of the graphic imagery of "Smack My Bitch Up" and several other videos on the countdown. This video was at #1 on the countdown and therefore named the "Most Controversial Video" in MTV's history. Despite the controversy it eventually won Best Dance Video and Breakthrough Video.

In conclusion it just one of tones of different controversial music videos. Pretty much all the R&B song nowadays includes vulgarism, nudity, violence, money and power.

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