The two perspectives utilized in the video aim to reflect two sides in the justice system today. Moving past this scene, Candis takes his viewers through the simultaneous morning routines practiced by the two main characters that the video follows. For the brief moment that the camera focuses on him, one can feel a sense of regret from whatever events took place before the current scene. Soft tears fall down his cheeks as he looks out of the car window in pain and angst. Cole, in the back of what can be interpreted as a police car because of the rapid, red and blue sirens flashing in the background. Subsequently, law enforcement gained its practices from this policy, and it continues to prove to be detrimental to anyone involved.Īt the start of the video, there is a small frame that focuses on a man, J. At the same time of the program’s implementation, Nixon “dramatically increased the size and presence of federal drug control agencies, and pushed through measures such as mandatory sentencing and no-knock warrants” as a means to amend the negative effects drugs had had on society (“A Brief History Of”). Just as seen in many impoverished, minority communities, Candis wanted his audience to understand the background from which the overall storyline gained its inspiration. Cole’s character as a small-scale drug dealer. Using this notion as the foundation for the video’s theme, director Sheldon Candis portrayed J. , by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, could disrupt those communities arresting their leaders, raiding their homes, breaking up their meetings, and vilifying them night after night on the evening news” (“A Brief History Of”). This policy had proven to be geared towards minorities because President Nixon “knew couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black. Its initial task was to combat illegal drug abuse and stop the distribution and trade of illicit drugs by increasing and enforcing penalties placed on offenders. The war on drugs was an initiative started under the Nixon administration in June of 1971, and it is still evolving today. Jay Z- The War on Drugs: From Prohibition to Gold Rush Their efforts, all a product of a system put in place for years, play an adverse effect on both sides shown in the video, reflecting just how crooked the justice system can be today. The “Crooked Smile” visual showcases the extreme extent to which law enforcement goes as soldiers in the war on drugs. It undoubtedly sparked a conversation on the continued war on drugs and gun violence in America, especially as it pertains to the justice system. Serving a greater purpose than a simple visual to lyrics, the video came at a time when media lacked coverage on the government’s war on drugs. Cole, released a music video for his famous song entitled “Crooked Smile” just a couple months after the song’s initial debut on the album Born Sinner. Jermaine Cole, or better known as his stage name, J. The videos can be simple, or more on the complex side, but it is always interesting to understand the overall meaning behind them.
In the same manner, artists tend to utilize music videos as a means to illustrate lyrics and convey their message to their audience more precisely. Artists are able to use their gifts and talents to communicate through songs better than language can on its own.
With the many different characteristics that make up a body of people, music has always been a great unifying force.
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