Link to the Buzzine video review
Though it’s hard to imagine right now, in recession-infested America, there was once a time in our country where rappers (and pop stars) were constantly griping about the fact that they had too much money, that their sudden wealth was causing them more stress, more anxiety, and, in the words of Sean Combs, just Mo’ Problems in general. This complaint always seemed a little obnoxious (wasn’t capitalism the point of living in America in the not-so-distant past?) and a little one-dimensional (with great wealth comes a whole new set of issues, yes, but why is this so?).
In her new single, “The Fear,” off her soon-to-be-released sophomore album, It’s Not Me, 
It’s You, Brit-pop songstress Lily Allen sings about the pitfalls of sudden personal financial gain. As well she deserves to; in 2007, Allen’s debut album, Alright Still, made Allen a huge star and got her real, real paid. However, in both the song and the video for “The Fear,” Allen comes across as neither obnoxious nor one-dimensional.
Most music videos convey the Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems conundrum by including slow-motion sequences of blinged-out fans screaming, as the tortured artist looks mournfully into the camera. Allen forgoes the self-pitying melodrama and features pastel bunches of balloons with legs as her backup dancers, and plates of cupcakes as her props. She sings things like “everything’s cool, long as I’m getting thinner,” as she skips through rainbow smoke with a smile on her face.
What makes Allen so unique is that her heady ideas, such as “I’m being taken over by The Fear”, and f*%$-‘em-all mentality such as “I’m killing them all on my own little mission,” always manage to fit perfectly into Allen’s quirky electronic pop songs. “The Fear” is classic Allen; singing “I don’t care about clever, I don’t care about funny” while peering out from the window of a pastel trailer is exactly what makes Lily Allen, and her new video, both clever and funny.
Download “The Fear” on iheartmusic, or catch it on YouTube .
Keep up with all things Lily and the February release of It’s Not Me, It’s You on her MySpace.
Tags: Alright Still, Britney, It's Not Me It's You, Lily Allen, recession, Sean Combs, The Fear
