“Letter to the Free” was written as part of the soundtrack to “The 13th”, the song speaks out against America’s justice system which helps to perpetuate the inequality endured by many African Americans

Cultural Hegemony:
● Antonio Gramsci: Italian philosopher writing in the 1930s

Key Terms:
● Hegemonic: dominant, ruling-class, power-holders
● Hegemonic culture: the dominant culture
● Cultural hegemony: power, rule, or domination maintained by ideological and cultural means.
● Ideology: worldview – beliefs, assumptions and values

● Cultural hegemony functions by framing the ideologies of the dominant social group as the only legitimate
ideology.
● The ideologies of the dominant group are expressed and maintained through its economic, political, moral,
and social institutions (like the education system and the media).
● These institutions socialise people into accepting the norms, values and beliefs of the dominant social
group.
● As a result, oppressed groups believe that the social and economic conditions of society are natural and
inevitable, rather than created by the dominant group.

Key Concepts:
● Cultural resistance
● Cultural hegemony
● Subcultural theory

Lyrics
“We ain’t seen as human beings with feelings” – Common states that black people aren’t seen as humans by some

“Will the U.S. ever be us?” – Common is asking if black people will ever be seen as true Americans