Common: Letter To The Free analysis
1) What other projects has Common been involved in over recent years?
Common has written the soundtrack for glory with John legend
2) What is the 13th Amendment of the American Constitution?
The 13th amendment is apart of the constitution of America, it is a loophole that allows slavery if the person is imprisoned
3) What were the Black Codes?
The black codes were laws that enabled the police to prosecute black Americans on petty charges, this was a method to keep white America in power
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?
Slavery represents the oppression of black people for many years, they use the legacy of slavery as a means to compare their current "new slavery" through mass incarceration
5) Why was Ava DuVernay inspired to make the Netflix documentary 13th?
She was interested in the idea that private prisons were making money through the mass incarceration of black men and women and wanted to make a movie as a method to advocate change
6) Focusing on genre, what was the most significant time period for the rise in political hip hop?
Political Hip-hop flourished between the 1980's and 1990's
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?
Some other artists common talks about are Daddy Kane, N.W.A, and Mo D. Some artists that I believe to hacve a strong element to their work include J.cole, Childish Gambino and Kendrick Lamar.
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 was Black America Again
The album was overall critically acclaimed by many reviwers such as metacritic and chicago tribune.
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).
Many of the shots within letter to the free hide the faces of musicians playing the instruments, it can be said that this lack of identity reflects the black diaspora within America, showing that black Americans may not feel welcome in America, this also supported with the lack of close up shots of any of the performers. The long shots within the prisons walls can maybe represent the passage of time as well
2) What is the significance of the constantly moving camera?
The constant camera movement my represent the passage of time showing that this mistreatment of black Americans has been present in society for years.
3) Why is the video in black and white?
The two main possible reasons for this are, one, the black and white could represent the "war" between black and white people in America, second the black and white could represent the "black and white" message common is trying to portray, saying that it is quite simple.
4) How is mise-en-scene used to construct meaning for the audience - prison setting, costume, props, lighting, actor placement?
The prison represents the mass incarceration of black Americans in America, it can also be argued that the prison represents new "modern slavery" through imprisonment, the prison may also represent the feeling loneliness and isolation of black Americans within america, the prison setting is also a direct relation to what the documentary the song was made for is about. Lighting is very dark with a lot of top lights used to light up the set effectively carries a dark atmosphere for the video, along with the placement of some of the actors for the video, the combination of the two creates a feeling of lose of identity within the black musicians in the video.
5) Focusing on the track, what are the key lyrics that suggest the political message of the song?
"Southern leaves, southern trees we hung from" is a direct mention to slavery in the south of america.
"check amendment 13
Not whips and chains, all subliminal" this line is reflects what the documentary is about talking about the new slavery and racism being more subliminal.
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.
At the end of the music video it can be seen that the black square moved from the prison to the field, what this could mean is that slavery was originally in the field, but with the 13th amendment, slavery moved from the fields to the prisons.
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.
Within one of the shots for the music video it shows a prison cell with the words "no excessive noise", this could represent white elitist's telling black Americans to just deal with their current situation and to not raise their voice against the oppression. As mentioned before the black square and all the shots it is in are mentions to slavery and the treatment of black Americans throughout history
8) How can Gilroy's idea of black diasporic identity be applied to Common's Letter to the Free?
Gilorys idea of black diasporic identity states that black Americans feel that they not welcome at both where their heritage if from and the society they are currently living in, the 13th amendment can be seen as a direct reason for that as it shows the continuous mistreatment of black Americans making them feel unwelcome.
9) What other theories of race and ethnicity can be applied to this video? E.g. Hall, Rose or Dyson.
Stuart halls theory of the dehumanisation of black people within America can be used too.
10) What current events in America and worldwide are referenced in the song and video?
The main current event that is referenced is Donald Trumps presidency.
Common has written the soundtrack for glory with John legend
2) What is the 13th Amendment of the American Constitution?
The 13th amendment is apart of the constitution of America, it is a loophole that allows slavery if the person is imprisoned
3) What were the Black Codes?
The black codes were laws that enabled the police to prosecute black Americans on petty charges, this was a method to keep white America in power
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?
Slavery represents the oppression of black people for many years, they use the legacy of slavery as a means to compare their current "new slavery" through mass incarceration
5) Why was Ava DuVernay inspired to make the Netflix documentary 13th?
She was interested in the idea that private prisons were making money through the mass incarceration of black men and women and wanted to make a movie as a method to advocate change
6) Focusing on genre, what was the most significant time period for the rise in political hip hop?
Political Hip-hop flourished between the 1980's and 1990's
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?
Some other artists common talks about are Daddy Kane, N.W.A, and Mo D. Some artists that I believe to hacve a strong element to their work include J.cole, Childish Gambino and Kendrick Lamar.
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 was Black America Again
The album was overall critically acclaimed by many reviwers such as metacritic and chicago tribune.
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).
Many of the shots within letter to the free hide the faces of musicians playing the instruments, it can be said that this lack of identity reflects the black diaspora within America, showing that black Americans may not feel welcome in America, this also supported with the lack of close up shots of any of the performers. The long shots within the prisons walls can maybe represent the passage of time as well
2) What is the significance of the constantly moving camera?
The constant camera movement my represent the passage of time showing that this mistreatment of black Americans has been present in society for years.
3) Why is the video in black and white?
The two main possible reasons for this are, one, the black and white could represent the "war" between black and white people in America, second the black and white could represent the "black and white" message common is trying to portray, saying that it is quite simple.
4) How is mise-en-scene used to construct meaning for the audience - prison setting, costume, props, lighting, actor placement?
The prison represents the mass incarceration of black Americans in America, it can also be argued that the prison represents new "modern slavery" through imprisonment, the prison may also represent the feeling loneliness and isolation of black Americans within america, the prison setting is also a direct relation to what the documentary the song was made for is about. Lighting is very dark with a lot of top lights used to light up the set effectively carries a dark atmosphere for the video, along with the placement of some of the actors for the video, the combination of the two creates a feeling of lose of identity within the black musicians in the video.
5) Focusing on the track, what are the key lyrics that suggest the political message of the song?
"Southern leaves, southern trees we hung from" is a direct mention to slavery in the south of america.
"check amendment 13
Not whips and chains, all subliminal" this line is reflects what the documentary is about talking about the new slavery and racism being more subliminal.
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.
At the end of the music video it can be seen that the black square moved from the prison to the field, what this could mean is that slavery was originally in the field, but with the 13th amendment, slavery moved from the fields to the prisons.
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.
Within one of the shots for the music video it shows a prison cell with the words "no excessive noise", this could represent white elitist's telling black Americans to just deal with their current situation and to not raise their voice against the oppression. As mentioned before the black square and all the shots it is in are mentions to slavery and the treatment of black Americans throughout history
8) How can Gilroy's idea of black diasporic identity be applied to Common's Letter to the Free?
Gilorys idea of black diasporic identity states that black Americans feel that they not welcome at both where their heritage if from and the society they are currently living in, the 13th amendment can be seen as a direct reason for that as it shows the continuous mistreatment of black Americans making them feel unwelcome.
9) What other theories of race and ethnicity can be applied to this video? E.g. Hall, Rose or Dyson.
Stuart halls theory of the dehumanisation of black people within America can be used too.
10) What current events in America and worldwide are referenced in the song and video?
The main current event that is referenced is Donald Trumps presidency.
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