The video features the Atlanta rappers and Monae portrayed as kids in school, while their grown-up personas urge them to be special.
According to hiphopwired.com:
“Goodie Mob [has] never rapped for the sake of rapping. Rather, their intentions have always been to enlighten and that is clear in their new visual for ‘Special Education,’ featuring Janelle Monáe.
“The Dungeon Family affiliates encourage listeners to be individuals while teens take on their roles and lip-sync their lines at a school. Viewers will see each counterpart of the MCs overcome their respective adversities as the track’s synth-heavy production echoes in the background.”
The “Special Education” video also overtly touches on a hot topic among parents: bullying. As reported by Yahoo Music:
“The song is about embracing individuality, and the video directed by John Colombo devotes a scene to anti-bullying.
“As Big Gipp raps the first verse, a boy is shown standing up to a bully. The student defends himself, lip-syncing to Gipp’s lyrics as his classmates watch.”
Slightly less overt in the video is the racial component. The visuals in the “Special Education” also feature black kids in a predominantly white population who are not afraid to embrace their individuality. This is a great message to send to young kids, especially if they are not exposed to other cultural groups.
“Special Education” will be on Goodie Mob’s new album “Age Against The Machine,” which is set to be released on Aug. 27. Goodie Mob fans are anticipating this new album, as it is their first together as a group since 1999.
Check out the video and tell us thoughts.
