Common - Letter to the Free

Social and cultural context

1) What other projects has Common been involved in?

Common and John Legend wrote 'Glory' as the sound track of 'Selma', a 2014 film portraying the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, a key moment in the civil rights movement.  

On October 27, 2015, Common inked a 2-year deal with HBO that allowed to start his own film production company, Freedom Road Productions. He stated in an interview in February 2012 that one of his big career goals was to start his own film production company.

Common was invited by First Lady Michelle Obama to appear at a poetry reading on May 11, 2011 at the White House. His poetry was found to be greatly influenced by Maya Angelou's works.

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

The 13th amendment, which formally abolished slavery in the United States, passed the Senate on April 8, 1864, and the House of Representatives on January 31, 1865. The 13th amendment to the United States Constitution provides that "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." It was written to outlaw slavery and pave the way for local and state law reforms. However, part of this amendment: " except as a punishment for crime... ", was used as a loophole to continue the enslavement of Black Americans through mass imprisonment.

3) What were the Black Codes?

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.

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 is crucial because the fight to freedom was a long fought journey, there are many Black Americans who made a stand against the injustice of the American system with peaceful and violent protests.  These protests were for their basic civil rights such as the right to vote or the right to an education. 

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

It was a personal venture for her and she wanted to be a voice for change. She wanted to inspire people to voice their opinions about the injustice against black people.

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

The late 80s and early 90s was a key time period for hip hop music through the fact it was reflective of a movement of black people and had a lot more deeper meanings on topics such a love consciousness and being aware. 

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 song comes from the album Black America Again. The majority of the reception was critically acclaimed. Metacritic gave the album 88/100. One review from the Chicago Tribune was that is 'one of the year's most potent protest albums'. Also, Entertainment Weekly said that the album is, 'a vital contribution to the national conversation'.

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).

Throughout this video mostly long shots and medium shots have been used which goes against the usual conventions of a music video. The long shots portray the prison as a confinement and creates a sense of isolation due to the different prison rooms being shown. There were several singers in different rooms which shows that they are disconnected nut united at the same time as they are singing the same song about freedom. The slow camera movements create a serious atmosphere and draws the viewers attention onto the smallest things. There was a slow zoom in at the beginning of the video and a slow zoom out at the end of the video which creates symmetry. The fact that the video ended from the way it started provides the audience with a narrative closure. 

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

To show that the journey is never ending and that black people will find their voice and rise against people who try to suppress them. The movement of the camera can also be seen as a microcosm of the timeline showing how far black people have come on this journey for freedom. The camera follows the musicians and their movements, the camera followed Common which focuses the viewers attention on to him and the lyrics. 

3) Why is the video in black and white?

The darkness hid the musicians faces which could suggests that black people do not have an identity as they are inferior. It could suggests that all people are represented in the same negative way as 'criminals'. However the brightness highlights and accentuates Common's facial features which reinforces the seriousness of the message he is trying to convey. It also can act as the 'light' or 'path' to freedom and to the end of their journey.

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

Common and the other musicians are seen to be wearing casual clothing in order to be recognisable and identifiable by the audience. They have done this so they can relate to the audience and show that they too are 'common' people and hopefully persuade them to act on the issues against black people. The different prison rooms shows the audience what it is like inside and how people are treated badly. On some the walls " no excessive noise was written" whilst they were singing loudly which suggests that black people are being suppressed but they won't stand down and will fight for their voice. The lack of props forcefully draws the attention of the audience on to Common and the musicians and also emphasises the message he is trying to convey to the audience about the issues. The viewers are forced to pay attention to the lyrics which is unusual because it challenges the conventions of hip-hop music video because they usually sexualise and fetishise women and glamorise wealth and women. 

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

"Slavery's still alive, check amendment 13", this is a powerful line because it highlights the fact that slavery still exists in a way.  The Black Ameriucans are still mistreated and Common refers to the 13th Amendment which links to the idea of the 'loopholes' and how people continued to enslave Black Americans.

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 represents black people as a whole and how they're treated. The black square 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.  At the end of the video the black square is in a field for 24 seconds, increasing the slow pace and gives time to reflect on the whole video. The meaning of this could be that slavery used to be in the field but now the penal system has taken it into prisons, which is the setting of the video.

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 keep quiet, 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?

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. This is seen through the different musicians in several different prison rooms. Every one is separated which suggests that they do not belong anywhere. 

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

Stuart Hall's representation of black people referring to the idea of dehumanisation. They are seen as the slave figure. They can also be seen as the 'clown' and 'entertainer' because the people are playing instruments and singing. 

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). This links to Common's Letter to the Free because we saw two female artists singing and playing an instrument. However, Rose has since criticised commercial hip hop and suggests black culture has been appropriated and exploited by capitalism.

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) This relates to Common's Letter to the Free because the people who featured in this video all looked young and were Black Americans. 

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

Donald Trump being made president and the mass incarceration. 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".