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?
Common has worked within a variety of projects attempting to draw attention to initiating a new wave of ‘protest music’.
2) What is the 13th Amendment of the American Constitution?
The 13th amendment of the american constitution declared 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." Formally abolishing slavery in the United States, the 13th Amendment was passed by the Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified by the states on December 6, 1865.
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. Black Codes were part of a larger pattern of Southern whites, who were trying to suppress the new freedom of emancipated African-American slaves, the freedmen. Black codes were essentially replacements for slave codes in those states. Before the war in states that prohibited slavery, some Black Codes were also enacted by Northern states such as Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,[1] and New York prior to discourage free blacks from residing in those states and denying them equal rights, including the right to vote, the right to public education, and the right to equal treatment under the law. Some of these northern black codes were repealed around the same time that the civil war ended and slavery was abolished.
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?
5) Why was Ava DuVernay inspired to make the Netflix documentary 13th?
6) Focusing on genre, what was the most significant time period for the rise in political hip hop?
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?
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.
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).
2) What is the significance of the constantly moving camera?
3) Why is the video in black and white?
4) How is mise-en-scene used to construct meaning for the audience - prison setting, costume, props, lighting, actor placement?
5) Focusing on the track, what are the key lyrics that suggest the political message of the song?
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.
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.
8) How can Gilroy's idea of black diasporic identity be applied to Common's Letter to the Free?
9) What other theories of race and ethnicity can be applied to this video? E.g. Hall, Rose or Dyson.
10) What current events in America and worldwide are referenced in the song and video?
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?
Common has worked within a variety of projects attempting to draw attention to initiating a new wave of ‘protest music’.
2) What is the 13th Amendment of the American Constitution?
The 13th amendment of the american constitution declared 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." Formally abolishing slavery in the United States, the 13th Amendment was passed by the Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified by the states on December 6, 1865.
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. Black Codes were part of a larger pattern of Southern whites, who were trying to suppress the new freedom of emancipated African-American slaves, the freedmen. Black codes were essentially replacements for slave codes in those states. Before the war in states that prohibited slavery, some Black Codes were also enacted by Northern states such as Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,[1] and New York prior to discourage free blacks from residing in those states and denying them equal rights, including the right to vote, the right to public education, and the right to equal treatment under the law. Some of these northern black codes were repealed around the same time that the civil war ended and slavery was abolished.
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?
5) Why was Ava DuVernay inspired to make the Netflix documentary 13th?
6) Focusing on genre, what was the most significant time period for the rise in political hip hop?
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?
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.
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).
2) What is the significance of the constantly moving camera?
3) Why is the video in black and white?
4) How is mise-en-scene used to construct meaning for the audience - prison setting, costume, props, lighting, actor placement?
5) Focusing on the track, what are the key lyrics that suggest the political message of the song?
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.
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.
8) How can Gilroy's idea of black diasporic identity be applied to Common's Letter to the Free?
9) What other theories of race and ethnicity can be applied to this video? E.g. Hall, Rose or Dyson.
10) What current events in America and worldwide are referenced in the song and video?
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