This Is America Analysis

841 Words2 Pages

“I'm living in America, and in America, you're on your own. America's not a country. It's just a business. Now f**king pay me” (Killing Them Softly 2012). The song and video for This is America has a lot to analyze so the visuals and lyrics are going to be split into two different parts. Donald Glover's video opens in an empty warehouse. A black man walks up, sits down, and begins to play the guitar. The camera slowly pans to Glover who begins dancing. The man who was playing the guitar is now wearing a bag over his head. Glover pulls a gun out and shoots the black man. All of the facial expressions and poses Glover makes are very similar to old Jim Crow photos and portrayals, but Glover is also playing the role of america in this video. This …show more content…

However the lyrics combat the beat with aggressive and cold versus creating this juxtaposition. Young Thug, Slim Jxmmi, Quavo, 21 SAvage, BlocBoy Jb and Kodak Black all have ad libs throughout the song. This is Glover bringing together his fellow black men showing unity between them. After Glover kills people he says that “This is America” saying that this is just how things go here. People die in the streets and no one cares. “Look at how I'm livin' now/ Police be trippin' now (woo)/ Yeah, this is America (woo, ayy)/ Guns in my area (word, my area)/ I got the strap (ayy, ayy)” (This is America 2018). Young black males have been killed by police more and more throughout the past years. Police kill these men for what seems like no good reason, they are trippin’. Gun stores and guns in black neighborhoods have been a problem for a while and even though it is a problem Glover embraces the gun, carrying it around with him. Glover’s grandma encourages him to get money and he has but later on he speaks about Gucci belts, showing he spends his money on meaningless things. “I got the plug in Oaxaca (woah)/ They gonna find you like blocka (blaow)” (This is America 2018). Glover graduated from NYU and now is successful as a writer, actor, comedian, and singer/rapper. Saying that he has a plug in Mexico and assassins who will kill you is him poking fun at the trap rappers who claim they do the same things despite not doing said things. “America, I just checked my following list, and—/You gon' tell somebody/—you mothaf*ckas owe me” (This is America 2018). This is part of the song where Young Thug complains about not having enough followers. Young Thug has 8 million followers. “You just a black man in this world/ You just a barcode, ayy/ You just a black man in this world/ Drivin' expensive foreigns, ayy” (This is America 2018). Again this is Young Thug rapping and he’s

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Huntitled 1 By Tupac

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theme of lines 1-5 in, ¨Untitled 1¨ by Tupac Shakur is that African Americans have been oppressed, over many generations. He describes the world, ¨as a ghetto, that they cannot leave,¨ referring to ghettos such as

    Read More

  • Summary Of Our Spiritual Strivings By W. E. B Dubois

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    He describes the sensation of “measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity” (2). West tackles double- consciousness in a lot of his songs, but more so I “Gorgeous” and “Power”. He does have slight elements in “Monster”, however. In “Gorgeous”, West is straight-forward in his approach, voicing his frustrations about appearing to fit in with the majority of popular artists (namely the white ones), yet when he does something stereotypically black he gets massive media attention and is berated for his actions. It is even in his clothes: if he is wearing the right clothing he is accepted, but is automatically perceived as ghetto when he is wearing sneakers and a white t-shirt. “As long as I’m in Polo’s smiling they think they got me/But they would try to crack me if they ever see a black me” (Lyrics On Demand). In “Power”, he discusses issues with fame and general concept of power, as well as being a minority with limited options. He talks about how education is limited and that minority children are eventually doomed to prison. “The system broken, the schools closed, the prison’s open” (Lyrics On Demand). His lyrics speak of how the world around him in controlled by the majority, and how minorities are forced to conform to the standards of the rest of the world. In “Monster”, the biggest hint at double- consciousness is the inclusion of Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, a white indie folk musician. Vernon’s appearance on such a quintessential rap track is impressive and jaw-dropping considering these types of songs (posse cuts”) are notorious for featuring all- black artists. His presence plays to the double-consciousness West expresses, by mixing black and white artists together for

    Read More

  • Literary Techniques Used In Keep Ya Head Up In Tupac Shakup

    1295 Words  | 3 Pages

    “While the rich kids is drivin ' Benz ,I 'm still tryin ' to hold on to my survivin ' friends.” In this quote Tupac had his audience take a second to image a rick kid driving in the hood with a Benz while a poor African Amirian boy is struggling to keep his friends. Tupac uses his lyrics to help paint a picture though his lyrics of the life of a black person which brings us to Imagery. The use of imagery in this song is amazing. Without even watching the music video and just listening to the song I could easily image everything that Tupac was trying to explain. This is what makes Tupac the best rapper still till this day! Another use of imagery is when he said “Dying inside, but outside you 're looking fearless, While tears, is rollin ' down your cheeks”. By this quote we as the audience should realize that there is more to this song that Tupac is trying to explain. In this quote I feel as though he was explaining that as African Americans more so black women tend to always wear this smile on our face no matter the situation when we know something in us is dying or is just not right. For some reason us black women have a habit of hiding our true feeling and situations. Last was the use of symbols which ties in with imagery. “They got money for wars, but can 't feed the poor”. What was Tupac really trying to say? This quote symbolize so much about America as a whole, and how as a nation we spend so much of our money on weapons for warfare but yet there are little kids who go days and weeks without no food. Is that fair? This quote symbolized pain and loss of hope because they (poor people) will never see a happy day. As they say we have to have the poor to have the

    Read More

  • God Bless America Analysis

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    My topic is God Bless America of Faith Ringgold. She is an African-American artist. She is not only a painter but also a writer, speaker and mixed media sculptor. Faith Ringgold was born on October 8th 1930 in Harlem, New York City and she is still alive. God Bless America is one of the most famous arts of Faith Ringgold that was produce in 1964. In that art, she used the oil on canvas and the dimension is 31x19 in. The subject of Faith Ringgold’s God Bless America is the woman on the background of American flag. There is another reason that make God Bless America became popular at that time. At that time, there was a Civil Right movement because the white prejudice against African American was enforced by the legal system. Therefore the theme

    Read More

  • Stuart Hall's What Is This Black In Black Popular Culture?

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Kendrick entered the stage shackled to his black comrades with a soulful saxophone playing in the background, it is obvious that the imagery of imprisonment was a commentary on incarceration in America and its similarities with slavery. By amplifying this modern twist on slavery, Kendrick provokes American viewers to reflect on the struggles that black Americans still go through today. At the start of his performance he goes on to rap “I’m African-American — I’m African” as if he was correcting himself. This isn’t surprising as black identity is hard to establish in a country that implicitly detests you, but explicitly fetishizes your culture. Stuart Hall discusses this in his text when he states, “’the primitive is a modern problem, a crisis in cultural identity’…the modernist construction of primitivism, the fetishistic recognition and disavowal of the primitive difference” (Hall 125). There is no wonder why Kendrick, like many African-Americans, finds comfort in placing his identity with the mother land rather than his true country of origin. How can the black multitude stand in solidarity with a country who will continuously praise black culture but refuse to recognize the black struggle? Kendrick Lamar then conjures imagery of Africa, where he danced and rapped in front of a raging bonfire, one of the most powerful imagery included in his entire performance. One can interpret

    Read More

  • Social Injustice In Kendrick Lamar's 'Alright'

    1224 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the 2015 BET Awards, Lamar performed the song on top of a police car, solidifying the song’s purpose as a protest against police authority and brutality. The next day Fox 5 News aired a segment on the performance and in the editing of the video they highlighted certain lyrics such as: “We hate po-po, wanna kill us dead in the streets fo sho’; My gun might blow” leaving out other crucial lyrics and context to understanding the song. This gave the impression that maybe Lamar’s “gun” would kill a police officer, when in fact he’s talking about killing himself. One of the anchors described Lamar’s performance as “damaging to young African-Americans” and “giving exactly the wrong message.” Lamar responded to the comments in another interview by saying “Hip-Hop is not the problem. “Our reality” is the problem of the situation. This is our music.” He explains that he was rapping about “hope” not “violence.” The messages he sends through hope are within God and using God as a source of relief and belief that eventually, everything will be alright. Lamar insists in the interview that the album is about hope, and that you cannot deny that there are instances of social injustice that or that the judicial system is racially biased. But at the end of the day you cannot take away their hopes and privilege that “we gon’ be

    Read More

  • The Patriot Analysis

    1942 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Patriot is a fictional story directed by Roland Emmerich, based on the true events of the American Revolution. Set in colonial South Carolina in the year 1776, the story of a war hero attempting to escape the haunting memories of the French-Indian War is put in a difficult position and is torn between protecting his family and defending his country. Benjamin Martin, played by Mel Gibson, is a widowed man with seven children living a peaceful life at a plantation, who would do absolutely anything to protect his children. When the decision to enlist in the newly formed Continental Army is approached in court, Benjamin says that he absolutely will not fight, and when speaking to Col. Harry Burwell in court he says “this war will be fought not on the frontier or on some distant battlefield. But amongst us, among our homes.” He knows that many innocent people will die, and the safety of his children will be disrupted, so therefore he does not cast a vote. When questioned about his principles, he responds saying that he is a parent, and therefore does not have the luxury of principles; once again confirming that family is the most important aspect of life to him. On the other hand, his oldest son Gabriel, played by Heath Ledger, is the complete opposite; he is extremely eager to enlist in the newly formed Continental Army, and he feels as though it is his duty to enlist and fight for freedom and independence, therefore, against his father’s orders, he enlists immediately. As the war moves forward, Gabriel is seen injured, and along with other wounded militia men, they rest at Benjamin’s home. Colonel William Tavington, played by Jason Isaacs, along with other British soldiers become aware of this and take many militia men as prisone...

    Read More

  • Gangster Rap: A Subgenre Of Hip Hop Music

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gangster rap is a subgenre of hip hop that often centered on the troubled lifestyles and poor condition of inner-city youths, ghetto boys are artists most regularly known with the founding of gangster rap. It also exposes the illegal activities of street gangs and thug lifestyle. Gangster was criticized left and right from commentators, as well as religious leaders, saying it encourages crime, murder, serial killing, violence, drug dealing etc. the music became one of the best commercial lucrative subgenre of hip hop. The government that is white house administration of George H.W Bush and Bill Clinton was against gangster, gangster artist was not happy that are singled out and that is not fair to them because they are using their song as a means of getting public to know the changes that the community needs and is not been addressed in the public forum. Journalist chuck Philips make it known in a review of the battle between the establishment and defender of a rap music, that white politicians never budge to know anything happening in the devastated community where gangster was given birth to. Gangster that started in a rural area became a means of exposing critical issues that are not solved or discussed in American politics. Sister Souljah told Philip the journalist that the problem is that the white house administration does not want to deal with inner city urban

    Read More

  • Hip Hop and the Recording Industry

    693 Words  | 2 Pages

    Swedenburg, Ted. "Homies in The ‘Hood: Rap’s Commodification of Insubordination." Rpt. in That’s the Joint!: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader. Ed. Murray Forman and Mark Anthony Neal. New York, NY: Routledge, 2004. 579-591. Print.

    Read More

  • The Misunderstanding of Hip-Hop

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    What most listeners do not understand is that a lot of hip-hop music is not understandable from the get-go. It takes intense analyzation of lyrics and an open mind to be able to understand what it is really about. Some people can’t understand what is being said just by listening with their ears, and they don’t bother to go study the lyrics. They then leave with the perception that hip-hop is chalk full of, well, nothing. One of the greatest rap lyricists of all time, Shawn Carter, also known as Jay-Z, says, “People don’t bother trying to get it. The problem is that so many people don’t even know how to listen to the music.” Mister Shawn Carter has also said that rap is poetry. He mentioned not to forget that the lyrics in the song were transmitted from feelings, thoughts and emotions to lyrics written on a piece of paper. He went on to say that if you hung that piece of paper up on a wall and someone went up and read it as it was, they’d say, “Wow, this is genius. This is poetry.” McHorter’s opinion on rap can and will be agreed upon by many, many people; however, this conclusion can only be reached without h...

    Read More

  • Hip Hop as an Industry

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rap is about giving voice to a black community otherwise underrepresented, if not silent, in the mass media. It has always been and remains … directly connected to the streets from which it came. (144)

    Read More

  • Racism In Kanye West

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Career of Kanye West began in 2004 with his first studio-released album, College Dropout. One of Kanye’s most revered albums, College Dropout showcases the ideals of a young African American artist beginning to realize and express all the racism and racial inequality that have hindered his life chances and the life chances of those around him. Kanye uses College Dropout as something that points out these issues and allows countless people throughout America and the world to relate. Of the countless songs on College Dropout that are excellent examples of this, one of the best is “Jesus Walks”. Kanye says “Getting choked by detectives: yeah, yeah, now check the method They be asking us questions, harass and arrest us Saying ‘we eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast’ Huh? Y'all eat pieces of shit? What's t...

    Read More

  • Violence In Fences By Childish Gambino

    380 Words  | 1 Pages

    Twice during Childish Gambino’s “this is america” a gun is used to commit murder. In doing so Gambino introduces pro-gun violence imagery and lyrics and when coupled with a ‘fast and loose’ esque style of lyrics, Gambino’s “this is america” distances itself from August Wilson’s Fences. After the first true verse of lyrics Gambino draws a gun and fires it, execution style into a guitar player’s head. Immediately following the murder, Gambino moves on deliberately flouting the body and passes the gun off to someone to be wiped clean. The second murder scene was that of an all black church choir seemingly racially motivated. Gambino, serving as the judge, jury, and executioner practices extreme nihilism in these killings. The first time there is any remote reference to guns being used to kill people in Fences is when Cory Maxson returns home as a Corporal in the Marine Corps; however, even then there is no direct reference to killing people.

    Read More

  • That Used To Be Us Analysis

    480 Words  | 1 Pages

    One of the major issues presented in That Used to Be Us is the U.S.’s substandard education system. Friedman and Mandelbaum explain how the IT revolution and globalization threaten everyone’s job, no matter how secure that job may seem. The level of skill needed for a good job is increasingly being raised, and competition for those jobs is increasing as the IT revolution gives even more people access to cheap tools of connectivity, creativity, and collaboration. This allows an entirely different class of worker to join the marketplace; low-wage and high-skilled. As the staggering growth of IT continues, the world will continue “flattening”, connecting more people and allowing them to interact and compete. The authors contend that these advancements are forcing companies to use online tools to become more

    Read More

  • Hip Hop And Hip-Hop Culture

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    Conventionally, there are more than twenty derivatives of Hip-Hop. The Hip-Hop style which is the most familiar to the world is known as “conversational rap” (Higgins, 2013). This form consists of the artist using a conversational method of rapping where they appear to be telling a story or holding a personal discourse. Conversational Rap is utilized by many of the industry’s current juggernauts. Some of the artists which use this style of rap are: Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and Wiz Khalifa. It is universal to understand that Hip-Hop is indiscriminative. In his article Hip-Hop Judaica: The Politics of Representin ' Heebster Heritage, Judah Cohen observes that “Rap music, on the other hand, is anti-classical, a UN-friendly music with dozens upon dozens of subgenres to accommodate and account for the full range of experiences that make up the human condition—irrespective of one 's race, gender, age or geography.” (Cohen,14). Moreover, Hip-Hop/Rap’s most problematic form is known as “Gangster Rap”. This form of Hip-Hop/ Rap is understood to be the turning point in the world of Hip-Hop culture. The “thug life” movement within Gangster Rap started with rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur, known as 2pac. In her article titled “East Coast/ West Coast Rivalry, Yvonne Bynoe states that throughout the 1990’s, 2pac and New

    Read More

More about This Is America Analysis

Open Document