Music Video: Common - Letter to the Free

Music Video: Common - Letter to the Free

Our first Music Video CSP is Common - Letter to the Free.

This is a stunning music video and protest song that documents black American culture and the legacy of slavery.

Notes from the lesson

Common: a pioneering artist

Common is a Black American cultural icon who has maintained a political and social concern in his music. At one of the most charged periods in American history, the video Letter to the Free is presented as his contribution to the divisive political and social issues of contemporary America, a sense that he is attempting to draw attention to initiating a new wave of ‘protest music’.

Michael Eric Dyson on Common

Dyson on black stereotypes and Common: “Many critics don’t account for the complex ways that some artists in hip hop play with stereotypes to either subvert or reverse them. Amid the pimp mythologies and metaphors that gut contemporary hip hop, rappers like Common… seize on pimpology’s prominence to poke fun at its pervasiveness. 

“Hip hop is still fundamentally an art form that traffics in hyperbole, parody, kitsch, dramatic license, double entendres, signification, and other literary and artistic conventions to get its point across.”

Michael Eric Dyson, Know What I Mean (2007)

Common - Selma soundtrack

Common and John Legend wrote Glory as the soundtrack for Selma, a 2014 film portraying the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, a key moment in the Civil Rights Movement.

The marches were a non-violent protest to demonstrate the desire of black Americans to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

Common returned to the theme of protest with Letter to the Free – highlighting the mass incarceration of black Americans. 

Common: Letter to the Free

Letter to the Free was directed by Bradford Young (the cinematographer on Selma). The video has the camera moving at a slow, aching pace through an empty prison where Common, singers Andra Day and Bilal, and other musicians perform the song in different spaces in the prison rooms. 

A black square hovering in the air appears throughout the clip, which, in a final shot, is framed as empty space in a field.

Amendment 13: ‘Black Codes’

The song was written for Ava DuVernay’s Netflix documentary 13th focusing on the historic legacy of the 13th amendment to the US Constitution. Theoretically written to outlaw slavery, the 13th Amendment had the effect of paving the way for local and State law reforms that created loopholes that effectively enabled the continued enslavement of Black Americans through mass imprisonment. The so-called Black Codes, introduced at state level in the southern states, provided for forced labour as punishment for petty crimes that in reality only applied to the newly emancipated black slaves.

Common - Letter to the Free blog tasks

Work through the following tasks to create a comprehensive case study for Common's Letter to the Free.

Social and cultural context

Read this Billboard interview where Common talks about Letter to the Free, political hip hop and contemporary American society. Use the article and the notes we have made in lessons (also available above) to answer the following questions on the social, cultural and genre contexts for Letter to the Free.

1) What other projects has Common been involved in over recent years?

An album called Black America Again. He has also worked with John Legend to produce the soundtrack for Selma.

2) What is the 13th Amendment of the American Constitution?

The 13th amendment in the USA constitution was written to outlaw slavery as it paved the way for the local and state law reform that created a loophole that effectively enabled the continued enslavement... it was specifically "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction".

3) What were the Black Codes?

Black Codes, introduced at state level in the southern states, provided for forced labour as punishment for petty crimes that in reality only applied to the newly emancipated black slaves.

4) Why do people suggest that the legacy of slavery is still a crucial aspect to American culture 150 years after it was abolished by the 13th Amendment?

Due to slavery and by extension the 13th Amendment being the foundation for the continued racism, brutality and imprisonment against black people to this day.

5) Why was Ava DuVernay inspired to make the Netflix documentary 13th?

''I was always disturbed and fascinated by and furious with what we were not talking about the fact that, you know multi-billion dollar companies were profiting off of black bodies and people from my community, in prison,”

6) Focusing on genre, what was the most significant time period for the rise in political hip hop?

80s and 90s

7) Common talks about other current artists that have a political or protest element to their music. Who are they? Are there any other hip hop artists that you are aware of that have a strong political element to their work?

"Big Daddy Kane, Mo D, N.W.A had stuff that was saying something too. I don't feel like we have that as a whole in hip-hop, I don't think hip-hop is the place we go to to listen for that voice of a revolution or to say 'this is how we're changing things.' But there are artists that do it, like Kendrick Lamar. I also think that Chance [the Rapper], though he may not speak in black consciousness, he has a consciousness about him, self-awareness and a spirituality."

8) What album is Letter to the Free taken from? What was the critical reception for this album? You'll need to research this - the Wikipedia entry for the album is a good place to start.

The album Black America Again. The album received widespread acclaim from critics, debuting at number 25 on the US Billboard 200.

Close-textual analysis and representation

Re-watch the music video several times to complete the following tasks in specific detail:

1) How does the Letter to the Free music video use cinematography to create meanings for the audience? (Camera shots and movement) + 2) What is the significance of the constantly moving camera?

The camera is constantly moving at a slow pace to mirror the pace and tone of the music. It circles around an empty prison, as long shots of the actors and environments create a sense of disconnect between the viewer and the actors, sort of as if we're circling around them and observing them as outsiders. This may reflect that society hasn't changed as we watch injustice and don't do anything to stop it.

3) Why is the video in black and white?

Perhaps to allude to the history of slavery and the 13th amendment and how they're still extremely relevant today to the discrimination of black people. It also creates a stronger focus and aesthetic for the video where it's easy to grasp the message that common attempts to depict.

4) How is mise-en-scene used to construct meaning for the audience - prison setting, costume, props, lighting, actor placement? 

The prison setting combined with the actor placement may create a sense of entrapment, sort of lamenting that black people are still not truly free. The rooms are mostly empty, with there being a lot of free space in shots, allowing the music and message to basically fill the room. The lighting is very low key - enhanced by the black and white filter - creating a very solemn tone for the audience.

5) Focusing on the track, what are the key lyrics that suggest the political message of the song?

"Institution ain't just a building", "search and arrest our souls Police and policies patrol philosophies of control", "Black bodies being lost in the american dream", "Shot me with your Reagan And now you want to Trump me", "Black bodies being lost in the American dream"

6) What is the significance of the floating black square motif? Discuss your own interpretations alongside Common's explanation of it in the Billboard feature linked above.

Perhaps it could represent how there is still discrimination and racism in society that needs to be abolished.

Common states the meaning of the floating black box as something that "represents the infinite thing about blackness and blackness can't be defined in time or space".

7) How does the video reference racism, slavery and the oppression of black culture? Make reference to specific shots, scenes or moments in the video.

The shots of empty prison cells show how slavery is never forgotten and still leaves it's legacy through the current prison system; it's built on the 13th amendment and thus inherently oppresses black people. At 3:10 it says "no excessive noise" to imply the attempts to silence black voices in America and the UK.

8) How can Gilroy's idea of black diasporic identity be applied to Common's Letter to the Free?

Gilroy's thoughts on black music articulating diasporic experiences unique to black people against white capitalist culture can be applied - The slave trade has a huge cultural influence on modern America and has a legacy that uniquely effects black people. This diasporic identity is very clearly perpetuated in this music video.

9) What other theories of race and ethnicity can be applied to this video? E.g. Hall, Rose or Dyson.

Rose's black noise theories can be applied to this video, as music is being used to give black youth a voice on the legacy of slavery and insight into the racism still rampant in america.

10) What current events in America and worldwide are referenced in the song and video?

Black lives matter, Trump and Ronald Reagan, Police Brutality, Mass incarceration, 13th Amendment

Music Video: Theory

Music Video: Theory

Paul Gilroy: The Black Atlantic

Paul Gilroy is a key theorist in A Level Media and has written about race in both the UK and USA.

In The Black Atlantic (1993), Gilroy explores influences on black culture. One review states: “Gilroy’s ‘black Atlantic’ delineates a distinctively modern, cultural-political space that is not specifically African, American, Caribbean, or British, but is, rather, a hybrid mix of all of these at once.”

Gilroy is particularly interested in the idea of black diasporic identity – the feeling of never quite belonging or being accepted in western societies even to this day.

For example, Gilroy points to the slave trade as having a huge cultural influence on modern America – as highlighted by Common’s Letter to the Free.

Diaspora: A term that originates from the Greek word meaning “dispersion,” diaspora refers to the community of people that migrated from their homeland. [Source: facinghistory.org]

Gilroy on black music

Gilroy suggests that black music articulates diasporic experiences of resistance to white capitalist culture. 

When writing about British diasporic identities, Gilroy discusses how many black Britons do not feel like they totally belong in Britain but are regarded as ‘English’ when they return to the country of their parents’ birth e.g. the Caribbean or Africa. This can create a sense of never truly belonging anywhere.

Additional theories on race representations and music

Stuart Hall: race representations in media

Stuart Hall suggests that audiences often blur race and class which leads to people associating particular races with certain social classes.

He suggests that western cultures are still white dominated and that ethnic minorities in the media are misinterpreted due to underlying racist tendencies. BAME people are often represented as ‘the other’.

Hall outlined three black characterisations in American media:

• The Slave figure: “the faithful fieldhand… attached and devoted to ‘his’ master.” (Hall 1995)
• The Native: primitive, cheating, savage, barbarian, criminal.
• The Clown/Entertainer: a performer – “implying an ‘innate’ humour in the black man.” (Hall 1995)

Additional theories

Although not specified on the A Level Media specification, there are some fantastic theorists that have written and spoken brilliantly on black America and hip hop music. The following are bonus theorists that we think you'll find interesting and relevant when studying Common's Letter to the Free:

Tricia Rose: Black Noise (1994)

Tricia Rose was one of the first academics to study the cultural impact of the hip hop genre in her influential book Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America (1994).

Rose suggested that hip hop initially gave audiences an insight into the lives of young, black, urban Americans and also gave them a voice (including empowering female artists). However, Rose has since criticised commercial hip hop and suggests black culture has been appropriated and exploited by capitalism.

Michael Eric Dyson: Know What I Mean (2007)

Georgetown University Professor of Sociology Michael Eric Dyson has passionately defended both hip hop and black culture – Jay-Z describes him as “the hip hop intellectual”.

Dyson suggests that political hip hop in the 1990s didn’t get the credit (or commercial success) it deserved and this led to the rap music of today – which can be flashy, sexualised and glamorising criminal behaviour.

Dyson states: “Hip hop music is important precisely because it sheds light on contemporary politics, history and race. At its best, hip hop gives voice to marginal black youth we are not used to hearing from on such critics. Sadly, the enlightened aspects of hip hop are overlooked by critics who are out to satisfy a grudge against black youth culture…” Michael Eric Dyson, Know What I Mean (2007)

Hip hop debate - full video

We've previously had requests in class for more on this hip hop debate - this appears to be the full Google debate on hip hop if you want to watch more from where those extracts came from.

Music Video theory - Childish Gambino blog task

Childish Gambino, the musical stage name of writer and performer Donald Glover, released an incredible critique of American culture and Donald Trump with This Is America in 2018.

The music video is a satirical comment on American culture, racism and gun violence. Racking up 10m views in the first 24 hours, it now stands at over half a billion views and has been dubbed ‘genius’ and ‘a masterpiece’. 

Create a blogpost called 'Music video: theory', watch the video again then answer the questions below:

1) How does the This Is America video meet the key conventions of a music video? Look back at last week's introduction to music video if you're not sure.

The camera is constantly tracking Gambino throughout the video, creating a continuous sense of movement. There is lots of dancing and fluidity in the background as well, and Gambino himself is often dancing with the beat of the music. The narrative of the video critiques the current state of America, with intertextual references to racist caricatures, gun violence and a direct reference to the 2017 film Get Out as Gambino is fearfully chased by white people at the end of the video.

2) What comment is the video making on American culture, racism and gun violence?

American culture glorifies guns over the lives of people - specifically african american people. The most obvious sign of this is the way the guns are handled in comparison to the bodies of the people; the guns are handled with care on red cushions whereas the dead bodies are dragged off screen. There are many sudden deaths and shootings in the video, clearly paralleling the abundance of gun violence America. There is strong social commentary on how black people are treated in America, and the general experience of being a black man in the country. There are people in the background using their phones to record what's happening, paralleling the way in which police brutality and discrimination is recorded.

3) Write an analysis of the video applying the theories we have learned: Gilroy, Hall, Rose and Dyson. Write a short paragraph for each theory.

Gilroy' suggests that "black music articulates diasporic experiences of resitance to white capitalist culture", which we can see through the music video's fusion (and contrast) of African choral music and trap music. The two types of music are used to show how black people have used music to unite together against white oppresion, highlighting Gilroy's thoughts on the struggle of being accepted in western society. Gambino makes references to historical racist caricatures, highlighting how racism is still ingrained in American culture and how society inherently oppresses black people; using his voice as an artist to shed light on how black people are being murdered and yet the country will ignore them and keep dancing as if nothing happened. 

Gambino's video almost exclusively has black actors, showcasing an important exception to Hall's suggestion of white dominated media. However, Gambino parodies/mocks black characterisations in American media, like the clown implying an innate humour to the black man.

Rose's suggests that hip hop has given young black Americans a voice, which I would argue is true as the video created a lot of buzz and was heavily discussed after it's release. However, despite this, the issues voiced are still prevalent today, showing that they're still not being listened to.

Dyson stated that "hip hop music is important because it sheds light on contemporary politics, history and race." We can easily apply this to "This is America", as Gambino discusses the experience of being a black man in America and the societal disregard for the discrimination Black people have faced and continue to face, partly due to the current political climate and Trump leading the country.

Now read this Guardian feature on This Is America - including the comments below.

4) What are the three interpretations suggested in the article?

He's playing Jim Crow, he's duping us with dance, he's taking on the police

5) What alternative interpretations of the video are offered in the comments 'below the line'? Choose two and explain what the comments are suggesting.

''Shines a beacon on American cultural absurdity. Guns, patriotism, the police state, racism, hate speech, disinformation and violence.''

"Childish Gambino shows his sanity and humanism by showing and condemning random violence and madness".

Extension task: 

Media Magazine - This Is America: Music, Politics and Protest

Read This Is America: Music, Politics and Protest in MM65 (p14). You can find this in our Media Magazine archive. Answer the following questions:

1) The article offers an excellent textual analysis of the opening of the video. What are some of the suggested meanings and references the writer discusses? Can you link this analysis to any of the theorists we have studied?

2) What does the writer suggest are the main political themes in the video - and why is the message unclear?

3) What meanings and suggestions does the writer highlight in Beyonce's video for Formation?

4) What is notable about Glover's comedy drama TV show Atlanta? 

5) What examples does the writer provide of hip hop as a political genre? What theorist can we link this to?

Music Video: Introduction

Music Video: Introduction

An introduction to Music Video: notes

Music videos typically feature movement – often fast paced either in terms of actors, camerawork or editing. Many contain a performance element or narrative. Music videos can also feature visual effects and intertextuality.

Music videos were originally designed as a promotional device to sell the band or artist’s music but have developed over time to become a recognised artform or product in their own right. Modern music videos no longer have the huge budgets of the 1980s and 1990s but digital media means they are now more accessible than ever. Videos such as Psy’s Gangnam Style have received over 3 billion views on YouTube.

Intertextuality

Intertextuality is when one media text references another media text – through genre, conventions, mise-en-scene or specific cultural references.

Music videos often use intertextual references – often to classic films but also to television, popular culture, news, videogames or even other music videos.

Music Video introduction blog task

This week's work requires Media Factsheet #69: Music Video. You'll need to log in to Google using your Greenford Google account to access this. Read the factsheet and answer the following 10 questions:

1) What is the purpose of a music video?

The purpose of a music video is to encourage viewers to purchase a copy of the song featured and other products associated with the artist.

2) How has the digital age changed the production and distribution of music videos?

The development of new media technologies meant that music videos, and the songs along with them, were more widely available, which music production companies found problematic as you were able to listen to the music video for free at any time and so listeners were less inclined to buy physical copies. At first they attempted to stop their music from being distributed on Youtube, but they figured it was too much effort. Because of this, most record companies now allow their artists’ music videos to be online but under controlled conditions.

3) Which three major record labels are behind VEVO? What is VEVO and why was it created?

Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Abu Dhabi Media. It's a video hosting site specifically for music videos. The content of Vevo is syndicated to YouTube in the UK with YouTube and Google receiving a share of advertising revenue for directing users to the official versions of music videos rather than those uploaded by a third party.

4) What are the key conventions of a music video?

Movement, Narrative, Intertextuality

5) How can narrative be used in music video? Give an example of a music video that uses a narrative.

There can be a loose narrative which links to the song's lyrics, or more explicit narratives that more closely link to the lyrics. For example, I Was a Teenage Anarchist by Against Me! has a man running from the police.

6) What examples are provided in the factsheet for intertextuality in music videos?

Blink 182 video for All the Small Things makes references to videos by pop artists such as Back Street Boys (I Want it That Way) and Christina Aguilera (Genie in a Bottle) by directly copying scenes.

My Chemical Romance’s Teenagers features ‘alternative’ cheerleaders, which is reminiscent of the cheerleaders in the video for Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.

7) Why do audiences enjoy intertextual references in media products?

For more esoteric or obscure references, audiences will find pleasure in knowing what the music video is referencing if they are familiar with the source.

8) Read the music video example analysis on page 3 of the factsheet. Select a music video of your own choice and write your own analysis using the following headings:

• Conventions (movement/narrative/artist)
> The video follows a character played by Elfman who has an obsessive need to be validated by 'little girls'. He lives in a house of cartoon (child-like) proportions, complete with dwarves dressed in white dress shirts, and is visited by several little girls. Strangers witness his predatory acts yet do nothing but sing along with the music. There is lots of movement present in the video, from frequent scene changes, camera zooms, bizarre editing, and intense and sporadic movements from the actors themselves. It is overall a purposefully creepy and insane music video to match with the lyrics and themes of the song.

• Intertextuality
• > It's theorised that Elfman wrote this song in order to call out producers that got away with being pedophiles because of their position, so it could be an intertexutal reference to news stories depicting this. Elfman is stated to have written "Little Girls" after reading an article in a newspaper.
  Representation
> The video primarily focuses on Elfman's character, depicted as a deranged man wearing a wife beater. It could be argued that this character is a stereotype of a pedophile, (which is a taboo subject that is rarely depicted through music videos and in general), as pedophiles aren't always so outwardly deranged. The music video also has representations of people with dwarfism, where they're side characters wearing matching outfits and dancing with Elfman's chatacter. This supporting and comedic role for the dwarves is a common representation of people with dwarfism and can be seen as degrading and stereotypical. The onlookers who bare witness to the situation are all adult men, while the victims are young girls wearing typically girly outfits.

• Audience
> Elfman said when making the music video he "was out to offend everybody when [he] started out. Any subject matter [he] could find that would be offensive [he] was embracing.” He created the song to provoke the outraged left, and basically cause outrage. As the opening track to the band's debut album 'Only A Lad', the band was likely trying to capture an audience who were interested in the new wave, synth-pop and post-punk genre

• Institution
> The opening track of the band's debut album Only A Lad, produced by
Pete Solley and Oingo Boingo under the record companies I.R.S A&M.

9) Watch the video for Ice Cube's It Was A Good Day (1993). How did this video set the conventions for later hip-hop music videos?

This music video is set in South Central Los Angeles, features Low rider cars and 'the hood'. It also features basketball, baggy clothing and icons associated with gang culture, like money and sexualised women. The cool, low key lighting with strong backlight was also used in similar music videos.



Final question - your own opinion

10) How important do you think music videos are in the marketing and promotion of music artists in 2018? Are music videos essential to a band or artist's success?

In order to capture a mainstream audience, I think that music videos are practically essential in maintaining buzz around music artists. Music videos are really useful tools for artists to create deeper meaning and push messages with their platforms. Billions of people use Youtube to watch videos in the current modern era, and having a visual incentive to click on an artist's music will most likely draw in more listeners. Having music videos for your music also means that TV broadcasters can broadcast it, although that was much more essential before the internet came along. It just seems standard protocol that, if you're a popular mainstream artist, you'll have music videos accompany your popular music. However, it's important to note that music videos aren't the only way to promote music. For example, Lil Nas X's Old Town Road got insanely popular without a music video - through Tic Toc - and the audio of the Billy Ray Cyrus remix has around 100 million more views than the music video for it on Youtube. Indie artists also rarely put out music videos with their songs, and yet can gain reasonably large audiences. So music videos aren't essential, but they're a big factor in getting music out there and getting people to talk about it.

TV index: Capital & Deutschland 83

1) Introduction to TV Drama
2) Capital: Case study and analysis
3) Capital: Marxism and Hegemony
4) Deutschland 83: Case study and analysis
5) Deutschland 83: Postmodernism
6) Industries: The rise of foreign-language TV dramas
7) Industries: The impact of new/digital media on television
8) Assessment: 750-word exam question