Music video: Common - Letter to the free

1.
For the film 'Selena', he was in change of sound tracking it and ended up using the song 'glory' featuring John Legend. He also appeared in the film 'The Hate U Give'.

2.
The 13th amendment allows unpaid labour to be used if the person is incarcerated therefore it creates loopholes for slavery to still occur through the mass imprisonment of Black citizens within the US.

3.
A set of laws that were passed by southern states which enabled police to arrest black people for petty crimes to them basically treat them as slaves for 'punishment'.

4.
Even though it was abolished by the 13th amendment, the way America sets its justice system is very anti black people.

5.
She wanted to get her point that black people are still getting discriminated against compared to other races.

6.
The most significant time period for the rise in political hip hop was around the late 80s to the early 90s. This was when people started to see a rise in political hip hop music.

7.

• Tupac
• Kanye West
• Kendrick Lamar
• Chance

8.

Taken from the album 'Black America Again' which got a lot of critical acclaims. It received high ratings and praise for its message during that year.

Close Textual analysis:

1.

• Camera movement is slow
• Camera is always moving
• No close up shots
• Emphasis on the black square
• A lot of straight cuts
• Not much focus on the main artist
• Most shots are either long or mid shots

2.

It could act as a sign of message that the issues stated in the song are ongoing even in today's society.

3.

The use of black and white filters may be a reflection of the good ad bad times for the black community.

4.

The prison - The constant discrimination against black people through time.
Costume - The casual clothes signifies equality between the artist and the audience.

5.

• "Black bodies being lost in the American dream"

• "Slavery's still alive, check amendment 13"

• "Instead of n**** they use the word 'criminal'"

• "Now whips and chains are subliminal"

6.

The black square is supposed to show the audience how black people feel at loss of their identity. Making it appear in different parts of the music video.

7.

• The black square that was shown in the prison cell and other areas of the prison.
• 'No excessive noise' on the walls of the prison while the artists are shouting 'freedom' from within the walls.
• The final shot that may be a reference to cotton fields from the past when slavery was in place which affected the black race entirely.

8.

The black square never seems fitting in any of the places within the prison which could reflect how black people never really feels a sense of belonging.

9.

Hall - The atmosphere that is shown in the music video could suggest the blurring of races and loss of identity and the need to fit in to a social class.

10.

• Police brutality in the US towards black people
• Extended sentences for black people for petty crimes