Christina Aguilera - Dirrty ft. Redman

What this video is

Released September 2002 as the lead single from 'Stripped,' 'Dirrty' was a deliberately seismic image rupture for Christina Aguilera — a rejection of the bubblegum pop identity imposed on her during her first three years of commercial success. Collaborating with hip hop producer Rockwilder and rapper Redman, Aguilera repositioned herself as 'Xtina,' a sexually liberated, genre-fluid artist with creative autonomy.…

Why it matters

A landmark text in early-2000s R&B/hip hop crossover pop, 'Dirrty' demonstrated that mainstream female artists could deploy explicit sexuality as artistic agency rather than mere marketing. The video established a template for provocateur pop visuals and is considered by Billboard to contain 'one…

The director

David LaChapelle (born March 11, 1963, Fairfield, Connecticut) is an American photographer, music video director, and film director. Discovered by Andy Warhol at age 17, he began his career at Interview Magazine. His photographic style is described as…