In a review of the video , Alex Ungerman of '' Entertainment Tonight '' felt that the repetition of the word " breathe " is a very serious symbol and an important message linked to the death of Eric Garner . According to a writer of Capital FM , the video shows the patriotic side of Rihanna and the struggle experienced by the black people in the country and their success . Steven Gottlieb of Videostatic wrote that the video is , " is probably a bit more political than you might expect , utilizing a mix of news footage that runs the gamut from tragedy to transcendence . " A '' Rap-Up '' - reviewer thought that with the visual Rihanna spreads her message of unity . '' Us Weekly '' 's Madeline Boardman called the music video " stunning " and thought it was different than Rihanna 's previous videos in which she is known for " pushing the boundaries " . She also wrote , " the clip was celebrated by social media users as " powerful , " " important , " and " iconic . " Zoe Anastasiou of Style website commented the fashion and wrote , " Rihanna 's new video for ' American Oxygen ' touches on issues of racial injustice and immigration , a far cry from the videos highlighting her bold ( and oft barely-there ) looks . " Daniel Kreps of '' Rolling Stone '' described the visual as , a quasi-time capsule feel , juxtaposing patriotic imagery with archival footage of the United States ' most noteworthy historical events . " He further wrote that , the video " similarly gazes inwards towards the nation " that results in a visual experience that could be seen in the visual for Billy Joel 's 1989 single , " We Did n't Start the Fire " . '' Time '' 's Nolan Feeney thought that some of the presented historical moments " challenges readings of the song as a pure ode to the land of opportunity " . Quartz 's Flanagin disagreed with the critics who thought the video and the song were contradictory . According to him , " The message is clear : the life of the American immigrant is full of contradictions . To embark for the United States , illegally or with visa in hand , as a strawberry-picker or a pop-star , is an endeavor fueled by hope . But new arrivals often face intense social push back . " Adam Fleischer of MTV News noted that " those clips span decades , relate to numerous situations and evoke an array of emotions " , and eventually agreed with Feeney . Michelle Geslani of Consequence of Sound wrote , " It 's a gripping visual that seems to pose the question : How far are we willing to go to protect this so-called Land of Opportunity ? " The video has since been nominated for the Best Video With A Social Message at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards
2015 MTV Video Music Awards
2015 MTV Video Music Awards
American Oxygen