Ego

"Ego" is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles and the forth music video single featuring Ashlee Carey (fifth in total See Background for more details). The remix with Kanye West, featuring Danny Navedo, was originally intended to be released ten days after the original version (April 24th), then a month after the original video (May 14th). The video was officially released on May 30th. This is Navedo's second music video single.

Background
The video shoot for "Ego" was announced during the end of December by Carey. Because of Carey decision to do the original version, Jager only felt it was appropriate to do the remix version as well. Navedo came first to mind and despite the video being announced by Carey, scheduling problems allowed Navedo to shoot his scenes first.

Carey shot her scenes on the afternoon of March 19th, 2009. The shoot lasted for three hours and consisted of close ups, a chair scene, and a choreographed dance by Carey.

The original version featuring Carey was released on April 14th, 2010. The remix was to be added on, featuring Navedo in the beginning and Carey's scene proceeding the intro. Like her "Sweet Dreams" video, this was to be released ten days after the original video (April 24th). Carey was unsatisfied with the results of her performance in the original video and felt a re-shoot would be adequate for the remix. Because no official date was ever publicly released at the time, Carey's wish was granted and pushed production back for the remix. Some may consider the re-shoot of the video a separate single, alongside the original (making Carey's music video total to five instead of four). The remix video was slated for a release a month after the original video (May 14th) but scheduling problems and a canceled shoot (May 25th) halted production. The remix was shot on May 27th and officially released May 30th.

Music Video


The original version to the video features various scenes of Carey including a chair scene, close ups, and dancing. The video is predominantly uses tracking shots and some free hand shots. Carey is featured in a black dress with heels and, in some scenes, a cocktail hat. The video begins with a close up showing Carey's black dress as she snaps her fingers to the beat. It continues on to show a choreographed dance part throughout the first verse. The chorus shows a close up of Carey, fading back and forth. The second verse and second chorus shows a chair scene shot in different angles. The bridge continues on with a choreographed dance by Carey. The video ends with Carey dancing along the wall until walking off the screen, then showing Carey's beginning scene until fading into black. The video was fully shot in black-and-white (repeating a trend; "If I Were A Boy").

Remix


The remix version features an extension with scenes of Navedo, as well as new scenes from Carey (to complement the remix edition). The video, also repeating the original tone, was shot solely in black-and-white. Navedo is featured in an all white background, which flash back and forth to Carey to introduce her. Carey first appears on a couch as she sings the first verse and chorus. The scene fades into her appearing onto a stairway. In the middle of the second chorus, she is featured on another couch. The bridge features shows various scenes of her on a striped background and close up scenes. The video ends with Carey on a stool with a white background.

The video goes into a 13 second teaser of "Diva" (the presumed next music video), featuring the instrumentals until faded.

Critical Reception
"Ego" received mixed to positive reviews from most critics. Though viewers though the video lacked originality because of the tinting and similar dance routine, they applauded Carey for her sass.

"Ego" (Remix) received positive reviews from most critics. The video added "flavor" with the addition of Navedo's shots in the beginning. Carey's second shot of making the video more acceptable was applauded.

Tracklisting

 * Youtube Video
 * 1) 'Ego' [MUSIC VIDEO] – 4:20
 * 2) 'Ego' (Remix) [MUSIC VIDEO] – 5:30