“The many affordances of the music video have created a state where some listeners now listen to music by looking at it”   

This quote by Arnold et al from ‘The Persistence of Video Form from MTV to Twenty-First Century Social Media’ encapsulates the ability of musicians and film makers to communicate a deeper meaning through the medium of music videos as listeners understand the music differently coupled with the visual aesthetic created within them.  

For deeper analysis, two examples are Immortal Technique’s ‘Peruvian Cocaine’ and Flying Lotus’ ‘Until The Quiet Comes’ by Kahlil Joseph.   

The first is a very literal example of listening to a song by watching its music video as the visuals mirror the tracks lyrics adding nuance to its obvious political statement.  

The video includes several clips from known films such as Scarface which are used to juxtapose the reality of the drug chain and how cocaine is distributed at each of its stages.  

While the video is unofficial it appears to be seen by audiences as valid as it has several thousands of views. 

Until the Quiet Comes’ is however far more subtle in its statement as new layer are discovered on each watch as the music takes the back seat with its instrumental nature.  

The video features the corpse of a shooting victim as it dances away from the scene towards a car that drives off.  

The form of dance performed is called waving, which is symbolic of a goodbye and showcases African American culture as a beautiful art form juxtaposing the sombre scene of people watching a dead body.  

The running children in the beginning which cuts out to reveal death illustrates the disruption that the discrimination against the community causes.   

There are several layers to unpack in these music videos that cannot be unpicked within a short blog post, there is however more to discuss on both. 

Faramade Olaitan.