Rihanna Gives U.S. History Lesson In 'American Oxygen' Video

By
Tidal

Rihanna is getting into politics?

The 27-year-old pop star debuted her "American Oxygen" music video off her upcoming album R8 exclusively on Jay Z's subscription-only Tidal music service this past week -- and a week later, it's finally up on YouTube. 

The video shows historic moments in American history, including footage of Dr. Martin Luther King, the Ferguson riots, September 11th and space exploration. 

Here's a complete break down of the U.S. History lesson in "American Oxygen."

The video also includes big moments in American history like President Barack Obama's inauguration, Occupy Wall Street and immigration. It's all very inspiring.

Then Rihanna is in front of a giant American flag.


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This is pretty much the back-and-forth pattern for most of the video.

At one point during the chorus, Rihanna sings, "Every breath I breathe."

Tidal

In all seriousness, the symbolism of the word "breathe," in light of the death of Eric Garner, is a very important message of the video. 


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The video ends with Rihanna saying, "This is the new America. We are the new America."

We're not sure if that's a good or bad thing?

While "Umbrella" is still Rihanna's best video OF ALL TIME, this one actually has a powerful message!

This is why we were sorry to see it was exclusive to Tidal for so long. Thankfully, everyone gets to see it now, even if they can't afford a Tidal membership!

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This isn't the first time Rihanna has released new music on an exclusive platform. Last month she came out with "Bitch Better Have My Money" on Dubsmash.

This leads us to believe the video for that song will soon be available exclusively on Venmo.

What do you think of the "American Oxygen" video? Play music critic in the comments and tweet #ETnow. 

How does Tidal stack up against Spotify? Watch the video below.

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