Artist –
- Common – Rapper, Actor, Writer and Activist
- Born Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr. on March 13, 1972 in Chicago, Illinois – looked down upon in America for it’s low economic status
- Became an underground rapper who garnered a reputation for relatively thoughtful, progressive lyrics as compared to top-selling rap artists of the time.
- Political and social concern in his music.
- Net Worth 45 million
- Dr Degree
- Emmy award for Letter to the free
- Influenced by culture and racism in America
- 2005 Noinated for Grammy award
Music Video –
- Raise awareness of racism and it’s effects on US society
- Contribution to the divisive political and social issues of contemporary America, a sense that he is attempting to draw attention to initiating a new wave of ‘protest music’.
- Letter to the Free was directed by Bradford Young (the cinematographer on Selma).
- The song was written for Ava DuVernay’s Netflix documentary 13th focusing on the historic legacy of the 13th amendment to the US Constitution.
- Black and White – colour shouldn’t matter
- From an album called Black America – about racism
- Dominant Ideology – radical(This Video)/ reactionary
- Symbollic box
- Low budget – more personal less formal
- Genre – rap/ hip-hop = Steven Neal, repetition and variation
- Vevo
- No main story-line
Notes –
- Comercial(Money) Success
- Cultural success focus on it’s effect on people (And money)
- Todorov = beggining, middle, end =conflict and resolution