Common - Letter to the Free

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

He wrote the soundtrack for Gloryalongside John Legend, and also starred in this film. Common has taken on a role as a musician that has enabled him to contribute to the diverse political issues in America.

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

The 13th Ammendment acted as a loophole that allows to still enslave Black Americans. It states that slavery is outlawed, unless it is a form of punishment for prisoners.

3) What were the Black Codes?

They were used in order to prosecute Black Americans for petty crimes. This law only applied to newly emancipated slaves, so it was a way of taking their freedom and a method for White America to remain powerful..

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?#

It's clear that slavery still exist, even after 150 years. The difference is that now they simply use different ways to enslave black people, creating new laws, like Jim Crow laws were introduced which led to the segregation of blacks and whites in America.

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

She wanted to address the issue of a slavery, and how it still exists, imprisoning black people for minor crimes. 

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

The late 80's and 90's was the time when hip-hop and black culture started to appear next to other genres. It was the time to embrace the black culture, with black empowerment and love and overall awareness. 1980s was the time of diversification of hip hop creating more complex styles, for example the political issues.

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?

Common thinks that artists like Kendrick Lamar and Chance [the Rapper] are aware of the issues and speak about issues important to their culture. '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.

Black America Again is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Common. It was released on November 4, 2016, by ARTium Recordings and Def Jam Recordings.^[1][2]

Black America Again was supported by two singles: "Love Star" and "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).

There're a lot of long shots, which is very unique for a hip-hop music video, here there're a lot of close-ups. The long shots capture the artists as a small part of the frame, showing the unnecessary background and leaving the frame almost empty. That can refer to the slavery and racism, and how black people felt and feel, separated and out of place. 

2) What is the significance of the constantly moving camera?

In the first part of the music video, the camera moves towards the artists, but in the second part the camera moves away, creating a symmetrical feel to the music video. The movements wants to engage us into the music video. 

3) Why is the video in black and white?

It can represent the differences between the black and white people. It can also make us concentrate on the lyrics more, signifying that we have to listen closely. 

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

The setting (prison) refers straight to the issue of enslaving black people in prisons in America. the artist wear very casual/ a little formal clothes, not really seen in hip-hop music videos. That also adds to the seriousness of the music video. There're not a lot of props used in this video, mostly the instruments that the artists use. There're drums used by one of them, representing the American culture. The lighting changes depending on the room that is shown, but it doesn't really effect the meaning of the song. The artists don't look at the camera once, which represents how slaves must of felt.

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

It says that slavery still exits and that there's hope that the freedom and justice for blac people will come eventually.

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.

I feel that it represents the slavery of black people and how it looks exactly the same as it did before.

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 black square is a great example, appearing in shots in prison and then, at the end, in the final shot, on the field, in the same form as in prison, suggesting that nothing had changed, except for the place that the black people are being enslaved. 

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

The Letter to the Free is a great example, asGilroy suggests that black music articulates diasporic experiences of resistance to white capitalist culture. It can be applied to the idea that because of slavery, black people often don't feel like they belong in America.

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

It's a good example of Dyson's thinking, saying that hip-hop is a an art form used to show a point and make a statement. This music video can be applied perfectly to this music video.

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

• Mass incarceration of blacks/non-white in America
• Racism within the government and police system
• Underlying tones of racism within contemporary America

Music video: theory

1) How does the This Is America video meet the key conventions of a music video?

There are a lot of key conventions in this video. Childish Gambino is giving a performence with not only singing, but also dancing throughtout the music video. There's also a great narrative that has a lot of intertextuality indide, from the lasy shot of the video, to hit pose when he shoots a man within the first minute if the video. The video is trying to arouse controvercy about things happening in US and how ignorant people are about it. The movements in the video reflect the constant pressure of people watching news on social media all the time, and distracting themselves with silly jokes and dance moves.

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

The This Is America video is very sarcastic and in some way scary, having a lot of surpricing, violent actions and the over-elaborated truth about the internet. He's potraing the American culture as toxic and extreamly ignorant to the inside issues of their nation. The rasism and gun violence have a huge part in American of what's wrong in American community.The #blacklifemetter was created because of Innocent black people being shot by policemen. In the video there's a reference to a mass shooting in the church and the gun being placed on a fancy, red pillow shows the attitude towards guns in US.
 

3) Write an analysis of the video applying the theories we have learned: Gilroy, Hall, Rose and Dyson. 

Gilroy- with his theory, the music video touches on the aspect of black community, especially American, being treated below other ethnicities and being targeted by the police. The black music and the reasons behind creating it is shown in the music video. At the end Childish Gambino runs away from white doctors.
Hall- the theory fits with the music video, because throughout the video we can see some stereotypes about black and white people. There are a lot of parts that include the police issue. There's also a representation of white people, actually the only one in this video, at the end, chasing the Singer. 
Rose- Childish Gambino tries to give the audience an insight into how it is like living in America if your black one, and through that he tries to raise awareness, and as Rose said, ' give them a voice, ' as watching this video Gambino tries to show you what's wrong with American culture. 

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

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

1. He’s playing Jim Crow
2. He’s duping us with dance
3. He’s taking on the police
   

5) What alternative interpretations of the video are offered in the comments 'below the line'? 

"It's just music"

"I'm surprised that this movie isn't 30 seconds long, with him walking on set and then some police shooting him. That would be a more accurate description of the US."

"Great video and music. I think it's quite obvious what the song means. Not much 'satirical' about it. Pretty literal to me. Being black in America is deadly."

"Music is the perfect medium to highlight the wrongs in society."

Music Video introduction

1) What is the purpose of a music video?


Music videos are an unusual form of marketing as they allow the audience full access to the product they are selling. When a music video is shown, the audience is able to hear the song the video is for so they are ‘getting’ the product that is being
promoted.

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

Prior to the digital age, allowing the audience full access to the product in the marketing was not too problematic. Videos could be uploaded to video hosting sites like YouTube and viewed using portable media devices such as mobile phones and iTouch devices, allowing audiences to see the video and hear the song whenever and wherever they liked.

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

Vevo is a video hosting site specifically for music videos, such as Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Abu Dhabi Media.

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

Movements of the camera and the actors, the narrative behind the music and the storyline.

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

The storyline can relate to the lyrics of the song and illustrate what is being said or is independent of the song and tell a different story. A good example is Woke Up Late by Drax Project. The main character is the Singer and the lyric can be an actual script of the video.
6) What examples are provided in the factsheet for intertextuality in music videos?

Music video is a genre that provides a lot of intertextuality. Such references may be very obvious, such as how the Blink 182 video for All the Small Things makes references to pop artists like Backstreet Boys (I Want That Way) and Christina Aguilera (Genie in a Bottle) by copying scenes directly.

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

People like familiarity, the audience feels the pleasure from recognising the text. It's easier to create meaning that the audience understand. It makes the audience feel as if they relate and connect with the characters and the artist.

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) - There's a clear narrative of the music video, with the climax and the artist playing that main role. The song is about a woman asking a man if he'll still remember her after their breakup. The narrative of the music video matches with the lyrics and the artists combines the movie with the song.
• Intertextuality - the whole music video is the behind the scenes of making a film. The video starts off on the set and end at the premiere. At some point the music video and the film in making is combining into one thing. The movie set is in the desert and kind of reminds me of Indiana Jones, with the mise-en-scene.
• Representation - the singer is represented as a feminine woman, who falls in love with a man. The movie set looks like a typical western/adventurous set and is has a feel of 60's film. The woman is feminine and is quite vulnerable and meets with the stereotypes of a 60's woman. 
• Audience - the target audience is a young women. The typical love-story of the actors on and off screen is what teenage girls expect from a music video of a song like that. The magic feel to it is what they have in mind when they think about love and romance, and an artist like Taylor Swift has a specific audience that expects exactly that from her music video.
• Institution - the song is a part of an album called 1989 and was one of the biggest hits. Taylor had her own, original style to her music and has a huge, world-wide audience that expects her to deliver that type of music videos, with the pop song. 

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?



We have the usual sets and props like the car that he's driving, or the basketball field. There's also a lot of shots with low lighting, there's a continuous shot of the artist singing with a blue background, dressed up in a very 2000, hip-hop style. At the end there's a police reference, which represents the struggles that the hip-hop community had with police over the years. The setting is his neighbourhood that is one of the key conventions when it comes to the community; the unity of people. 

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?

I feel like music videos use to define the popularity of the artist and were very essential to the popularity of the song. Now music videos pay an important role, with the song having 2B views on YouTube, but now every artist can create music video.
I still think that music videos are important in music industry and let the artist express themselves in a different way and explain the song,or simply create another art piece.

my favourite music video

I like that music video because it simply makes you want to dance. The idea of a music video is mostly promotion. In this music video we can see that the lyric of that song are reflected in this video. I also like it a lot because the characters are every day people and most of the music video is just them dancing.
The music video makes you want to dance and listen to the song again.