Who ever said justice was swift?

It took more than five months, but Erykah Badu is finally paying for her controversial -- or brilliant, depending on who you ask -- video for "Window Seat."

Badu has paid a $500 fine and will serve six months of probation, a Dallas city spokesman tells the Associated Press.

In the clip, which immediately went viral, she is seen walking the streets of Dallas near the site where JFK was assassinated, slowly stripping; the moment after she takes off her last piece of clothing, the singer is shot by an unseen assassin.

Thanks to a media firestorm and a complaint from a Dallas resident, she was subsequently charged with disorderly conduct, a Class C misdemeanor, for her "disregard to individuals nearby.”

At the height of the controversy, the singer, who is a native of Dallas, Tweeted: "I would never disrespect JFK. his revolutionary thinking is my inspiration. my performance art has been grossly misinterpreted by many."

"I knew it was a shocking thing that I did," she told us in an interview earlier this summer about the fallout from the video. "So I did expect some kinda dialogue about it. That’s the point of performance art. There is going to be some kinda dialogue. I didn’t think it would become this …well, yes, I did (laughs). I predicted what would happen. It became clearer and clearer as I shed layers. The next step is assassination of character. That’s exactly what happened."

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy

twitter.com/GerrickKennedy

Photo: Kenneth Cappello.

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Erykah Badu has never been afraid to express herself.

Since releasing her debut, “Baduizm,” more than 13 years ago,  the Dallas native has found new,  creative -- though sometimes controversial -- ways of expression. From donning head wraps as towering as Marge Simpson’s tresses to shaving all her hair completely off -- she knows how to make a bold declaration.

But it was her last artistic statement that sent tongues wagging and the media afire when she premiered the video for “Window Seat,” the lead single from her newest album, “New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh.”

In the clip, which immediately went viral, she is seen walking the streets of Dallas near the site where JFK was assassinated, slowly stripping; the moment after she takes off her last piece of clothing, the singer is shot by an unseen assassin.

Thanks to a media firestorm and a complaint from a Dallas resident, she was subsequently charged with disorderly conduct, a Class C misdemeanor, for her "disregard to individuals nearby.”

But Badu is not fazed. The 39-year-old is gearing up for a hectic summer. She has joined this year’s Lollapalooza festival and will reunite with the revamped Lilith Fair tour for a slew of Canadian and U.S. dates. Not to mention that she will be featured as a special guest on Maxwell and Jill Scott’s current tour. All of this on top of launching her own summer trek.

Before Badu plays Los Angeles on Sunday at the Greek Theatre she chatted with Pop & Hiss (after a grueling promo tour in Japan) about the video seen round the world, her latest album and Twitter.