Common - Letter to the Free

1) What other projects has Common been involved in over recent years?

Common and John Legend had paired up to create a soundtrack.

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

The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.
3) What were the Black Codes?

The Black Codes were laws passed by 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?

Black people were then introduced to mass incarceration and lead to them being imprisoned so that they would be forced into labour due to them being criminals and lead to the continuation of slavey.

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

She wrote it in hopes that it may evoke some type of revolution within what people think about whilst thinking about the situation and showed great interest in how companies were exploiting these black workers even after the removal of slavery and was inregued about the prison system being run by private firms and how they are actually profiting from this.

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

I think that the 80's and 90's were a crucial time for hip hop culture and really set the standard with a lot of quality artist releasing music and there being a lot of competitiveness so that the quality of the music that was being produced increased.

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.

The song comes from the Black America Again

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 letter to the free music video uses medium and long shots throughout the video as it shows peoples full body but does not attempt to show off their body as they would in most music videos but perhaps to show that they are not actually free to do what they want as they are imprisoned.

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

The consistently moving camera may be showing the passing of time and as there is no change in the video which may be indicating that there has been no change in real life situations and that slavery still exists, simply in another form.

3) Why is the video in black and white?

The video is in black and white perhaps to show that there are no differences between races and that what they are trying to show is a very serious matter. They may also represent the time period in which they are talking about.

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

The music video is shot in a prison which may represent how they are imprisoned and how mass incarceration has not only occurred but is also a very big problem.

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'

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?