Usher’s I Cry Video Is Thought Provoking and Emotive
The video is dedicated to the activists on the front line of the Black Lives Matter protests
Against a black and white backdrop of images by the late photographer Gordon Parks, portraying the struggles of African Americans in America, and a banner from the recent Black Lives Matter protests reading ‘remember what we’re fighting for’, Usher sings ‘I Cry’ in an emotive and thought-provoking video.
“This video is in honor of the courage and bravery of the activists and organizations who are demanding a change to broken systems rooted in hundreds of years of racism” he said on his Instagram on releasing the video, and this sentiment for change is echoed in his lyrics “we can change it if we face it.”
Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this video is self-directed by Usher himself and displays an intimate and emotional version of the music artist. Usher offers us a close-up and intimate view of himself as a man who is not afraid to combat the stereotype of masculinity, and is seen shedding tears as the backdrop moves through images of Martin Luther King, police brutality, protests, and prisons.
The video offers a genuine, emotional response to what is a genuine and emotional fight against systemic racism and injustice, being fought against by activists, who Usher dedicates the video to.
All proceeds raised by the song will go to LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), which will be donated to black-owned businesses and black-led community groups.
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