Tracee Ellis Ross is primarily a comedic actress, and you can currently see her on ABC’s sitcom Black-ish. However, she has a musical lineage to her, and this is not in reference to her rap alter-ego T-Murda. Ross is the daughter of the legendary soul artist Diana Ross, and recently she decided to pay tribute to her mother by recreating one of her music videos.
The video in question is for “Work That Body,” a Ross song from 1981. By this point, Ross was not necessarily the superstar she was when she was leading the Supremes, but if anything, following the surprise smash hit in 1980’s Diana, she decided to up the sex appeal factor. So perhaps it is not surprising to see her make an aerobics centric music video, given how popular that was at the time. Now, it feels somewhat strange and dated, almost alien, so it makes sense to use it as fodder for a somewhat comedic music video.
Ross recreates her mother’s original music video, splicing shots from the original “Work That Body” video into hers, but then also adding some new flavor by jumping around in various colorful leotards. Tracee Ellis Ross seems to just be goofing around and having a good time, and it’s infectious in that way. It may be a bit silly, but it’s also a kind shout out to her mom.
(Via Paste Magazine)
