Common is an advocate for criminal justice reform and is the founder of Imagine Justice, a non-profit organisation dedicated to “empowering communities and fighting injustice wherever it appears”. “Letter to the Free” is his rally call against racism and the different forms of slavery still being used in America.
Awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics, Common’s “Letter to the Free” speaks out against a justice system which helps to perpetuate the terrible inequality endured by many African Americans. With a disproportionate number of ethnic minorities incarcerated in prison, the lyrics criticise the money-making “business” of the “prison” system when these institutions should be a tool for positive reform and rehabilitation. Released in 2016, the rapper also worried about “staring in the face of hate” of Trump’s vision of America.
Common’s “Letter to the Free” was written for a documentary exploring this criminalisation of African Americans. Directed by Ava DuVernay, The “13th” also focused on the “systems of racial control” and state laws which seem to discriminate against impoverished ethnic minorities who are then more likely to be convicted of a crime and imprisoned. For instance, despite making up 13% of the total US population, black inmates account for nearly 40% of the prison population.
Why is letter to the Free in black and white? The marches were a non-violent protest to demonstrate the desire of black Americans to exercise their constitutional right to vote. Common returned to the theme of protest with Letter to the Free – highlighting the mass incarceration of black Americans.
Quotes
‘Black bodies being lost in the American dream’ – This quote portrays the meaning that black people living in America are being forgotten about in the ‘progress’ of America.
‘Slavery’s still alive, check Amendment 13’ – Common believes that slavery is still alive no matter how hard America are4 trying to push down the actual word ‘slavery’. He provides evidence for the modern day slavery with the 13th amendment.
‘Not whips and chains, all subliminal’ –
Who is Common?
Lonnie Rashid Lynn, known by his stage name Common, is an American rapper and actor. He debuted in 1992 with the album Can I Borrow a Dollar?, and gained critical acclaim with his 1994 album Resurrection. He maintained an underground following into the late 1990s.
American hip-hop artist, actor, and activist who became a mainstream success in the early 21st century, known for intelligent and positive lyrics that were performed in a spoken-word style. He was the first rapper to win a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and an Emmy Award.
Common quit college to devote his time to music. He originally performed under the name Common Sense, but a band with the same name sued, and in the mid-1990s he shortened his stage name to Common.
Youth Culture as Political Protest – Jodie’s PowerPoint.
1 in 4 people are locked up in America.
Postcolonialism
Specifically looking at identity and representation through the lens of Empire and Colonialism. The Shadow of Slavery. Postcolonial criticism challenges the assumption of a universal claim towards what constitutes ‘good reading’ and ‘good literature’.
ORIENTALISM:
The Link between culture, imperial power & colonialism
the power to narrate, or to block other narratives from forming or emerging, is very important to culture and imperialism
Edward Said Culture and Imperialism, 1993: xiii
He asked if ‘imperialism was principally economic‘ and looked to answer that question by highlighting ‘the privileged role of culture in the modern imperial experience’ (1997:3)
Edward Said – He argues that Orientalism is “a style of thought based upon an ontological and epistemological distinction between ‘the Orient’ and ‘the Occident’ (2003: 2). In this way, Orientalism tends to rely on a binary opposition between the West and the East that most of times is misleading and destructive.