Letter to the free

Lyrics

Southern leaves, southern trees we hung from
Barren souls, heroic songs unsung
Forgive them father they know this knot is undone
Tied with the rope that my grandmother died
Pride of the pilgrims affect lives of millions
Since slave days separating, fathers from children
Institution ain't just a building 
But a method, of having black and brown bodies fill them
We ain't seen as human beings with feelings
Will the U.S. Ever be us? Lord willing!
For now we know, the new Jim Crow
They stop, search and arrest our souls
Police and policies patrol philosophies of control
A cruel hand taking hold
We let go to free them so we can free us
America's moment to come to Jesus

Freedom (freedom)
Freedom come (freedom come)
Hold on (hold on)
Won't be long (won't be long)
Freedom (freedom)
Freedom come (freedom come)
Hold on (hold on)
Won't be long (won't be long)

The caged birds sings for freedom to bring
Black bodies being lost in the american dream
Blood of black being, a pastoral scene
Slavery's still alive, check amendment 13
Not whips and chains, all subliminal
Instead of 'nigga' they use the word 'criminal'
Sweet land of liberty, incarcerated country
Shot me with your ray-gun
And now you want to trump me
Prison is a business, America's the company
Investing in injustice, fear and long suffering
We staring in the face of hate again
The same hate they say will make america great again
No consolation prize for the dehumanized
For america to rise it's a matter of black lives
And we gonna free them, so we can free us
America's moment to come to Jesus

Freedom (freedom)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on (hold on)

Won't be long (won't be long)

Freedom (freedom)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on (hold on)

Won't be long (won't be long)

Freedom (freedom)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on (hold on)

Won't be long (won't be long)

Freedom (freedom)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on (hold on)

Won't be long (won't be long)

Freedom (freedom)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on (hold on)

Won't be long (won't be long)

Freedom (freedom)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on (hold on)

Won't be long (won't be long)

Freedom (freedom)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on (hold on)

Won't be long (won't be long)

Freedom (freedom)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on (hold on)

Won't be long (won't be long)

Freedom (freedom)

Freedom come (freedom come)

Hold on (hold on)

Won't be long (won't be long)

Oh, freedom, won't be long

Dyson on black stereotypes and Common: “Many critics don’t account for the complex ways that some artists in hip hop play with stereotypes to either subvert or reverse them. Amid the pimp mythologies and metaphors that gut contemporary hip hop, rappers like Common… seize on pimpology’s prominence to poke fun at its pervasiveness.” - Quoted by critics.

Common portrays the cruel legacy of slavery, Jim Crowe and mass incarceration in the stark new video for “Letter to the Free. Letter is straight ahead protest music, a meditation on race in America that opens with a nod to "Strange Fruit" and ties in current events in no uncertain terms. Over minor piano chords, Com touches on the prison system, police violence, Trump, and of course, some contemporary protest efforts. No consolation prize for the dehumanized, he raps, for America to rise it's a matter of black lives.

L.O: Identify historical, social and cultural contexts of a music video.

Context;

Themes; 

Representations of;

(Race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality

This is shown through;

Narrative . Back, object by itself floating is a metaphor of a person. . Back of narrative shows a lack of freedom . Collective narrative for story of a group/ everyone  . Black object in nature stops floating - only way to be free is in death	Cinematography . Establishing shot . Wide shot . Zoom . Slow zoom . Slow pace - dread for future lack of freedom . Long shots . Black and white shows segregation
Editing . Jump shot . J cut . L cut . Non objective sounds . Diegetic sounds . Black and white - sadness	Mise en Scene . Props - flying black object, instructions . Lighting - dark / lack of colour . Makeup - not noticeable . Costumes - normal clothes . Light is never there - solidarity . Lighting - black people are always in the centre of the light show black lives do matter.