Common - Letter to the Free context and analysis

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?

He performed a longer version of Letter to the Free at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival as well as make new music such as "The people" and "The Light".

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

The amendment stated that slavery was abolished as well as involuntary servitude, expect in cases where a person has committed a crime.

3) What were the Black Codes?

The Black Codes were laws passed by Southern states in 1865 and 1866 in the United States after the American Civil War with the intent and the effect of restricting African Americans freedom, and of compelling them to work in a labor economy based on low wages or debt.

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?

Mass incarceration was introduced after the abolition of slavery and segregation. 'Criminals' was used as an excuse in order to restrict the freedom of the African Americans which continued racism throughout the country and even till today.

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

She stated that she wanted to be an advocate for change and to bring hope, "I make this film in a place of hope which is how I try to walk through the day".

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

The 80s and 90s was a reflective of movement. It was the movement of black empowerment, black love and consciousness. 

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?

Artist such as Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper are artist which are a "voice of revolution and say 'this is how we're changing things'". They are considered the voice and leaders of the hip hop era and are the role models who highlight aspects of society that they consider wrong.

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.

Album - Black America Again
The album was given good reviews by Metacritic which rated the album an 88 out of 100. They said the album was "one of the year's most potent protest albums...The songs were emotional and loving". Q magazine said "Black America Again is a stirring reminder of the Chicago MC's relevance".

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).

The video doesn't follow typical music video conventions as it only features long and medium shots. By doing so the video is able to show the surrounding and environment in which the performers are in, showing of the prison. This emphasises how isolated and disconnected the performers are as well as reinforcing incarceration. The slow tracking shot at the start of the video which leads into the prison allows the audience to focus on the seriousness of the topic as well as immersing the audience and prepare them for the artist powerful lyrics. 

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

The slow handheld movement of the camera shows the time passing within the prison as well as the change of treatment of black people in America and how the slowness of the video reflects on how slowly society has changed its treatment of African Americans.

3) Why is the video in black and white?

The use of black and white colour scheme in the video allows the video to focus on the seriousness of the topic. It also has connotations of the past and slavery, a topic highlighted in the lyrics of the video. The use of black and white may also have connotations to the performers or the black box being stuck in the past as well as trying to communicate the meaning and messages behind the artists lyrics.

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

The prison setting is an automatic reference to how African american's treatment has been in the past and how it currently is. It links to the lyrics of the artist as well as helping to send the message of video to the audience. The words "No excessive noise" in the background shot of the music video has connotations of how black people in America struggle to speak out and have a voice. It shows how America in the past has been able to control this ethnic group by taking away their voice to speak out. The background has a basketball hoop, which could reference to black culture as the NBA is been dominated by black athletes. Overall the simple visuals of the video allows the audience to focus on the lyrics of the video.

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

"We ain't seen as human beings with feelings", this line alone is extremely powerful as it highlights the treatment of African Americans in the past as well as today and how the artist sees racism today. The constant repetition of freedom juxtaposes with the environment and connotes how freedom hasn't actually been granted to the African Americans who live in the US. 

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.

Common describes the black square as "It represents the infinite thing about blackness and blackness can't be defined in time or space". This could also be interpreted as the black people as a whole and how they're treated. The black sqaure is seen throughout the video in the prison from the cell to the outside with the "No excessive noise" at the background. The black square is also seen at the end of the video in an open field outside the prison, however it is laying down which could represent death and how freedom is granted to the African American people at the end of their lives.

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 multiple shots of inside the prison from the cell shots and the 'no excessive noise' text in the background all reference racism and how black people are treated in society. The text gives connotations of how black people are expected to act and how they are expected to "shut up and accept it", taking their freedom and voice away.

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

"Rappers like common seize on pimpology's prominence to poke fun at its pervasiveness". Common is an artist who uses his voice and doesn't follow typical hip hop music video conventions in order to shine a light on societies current issues as well as bring a voice to the black community. Letter to the Free highlights the political and social issues of contemporary America and draw attention to initiating a new wave of "Protest music".

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

Hall's theory can be applied to this music video as the music video categorizes black people together as one and places them within a prison, associating this particular race with a certain social class.

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

References to Donald Trump are made in the lyrics of the video as well as previous presidents "Shot me with your ray-gun and now you want to trump me".