
In 2010 the African American community, and humanity in general, faced another tragedy of an innocent life being taken. The war on drugs involves police raids against people abusing illegal substances. However, in one instance a young black girl named Aiyana Stanley Jones was a victim of an accidental shooting by a police officer. This innocent girl’s death caused the African community to come together in order to stand up against unfair treatment. Many influential people took the liberty of addressing this issue. In 2013, rapper J. Cole dedicated his music video, “Crooked Smile” to this girl’s life. The video and lyrics portray message about unnecessary violence during the war on drugs, discrimination, and to promote self confidence.

(2:17) In this video, J. Cole and his parents are having a 7th birthday celebration for his younger sister as seen through various establishing shots. This young girl symbolizes Aiyana and every pure soul that has never done anything wrong in their short lives. The first image is a close up shot of this African American girl with a genuine smile on her face looking up at a sparkler. The colors in this scene are contrasting. The dark background causes the light colors to stand out and force the viewer to focus on the girl’s sparkler. . Purdue OWL explains why this color technique is so popular and effective: “The high degree of contrast makes the white light more easily visible.” It is important that this light stands out because it is symbolizing her innocence and happiness. The light stands out as it shines on her smile, which is not crooked as seen in this 

close up. Since her smile plays a major part in the lyrics and the photo, J. Cole wants this to be a motivation for women and the African American community. He wants people to be confident and for others to never discriminate based on appearances. The beautiful girl smiles proudly at her family and the time they are spending together.

This emotion also connects with the theme of the war on drugs and its impact on people. This shot shows how innocent the situation was, and how quickly the circumstances changed. J. Cole included this irony as a way for the viewer to relate and feel emotion for this girl and her family. The girl looking up and smiling at the sparkler leads the viewer to think that something may go wrong in the next moments because of how peaceful the moment is, and the aggressive lyrics that go along with the image. Although there is an unstated assumption about how the night will proceed, the viewer can gain a positive impression that even though this family’s lifestyle is questionable, they still have pride in who they are. J. Cole will never turn his back on what truly matters. The young girl is the force in all of their lives that holds them to be true to one another as they celebrate her. J. Cole uses the light and sounds of the sparkler as a recurring motif throughout the video.

(3:51) The second still shot from “Crooked Smile” is the climax of the video. Before this scene, it appeared that everything and everyone was happy and calm. The visuals are directed to attract viewers who may not believe in respecting authority. It is important that the message is fair to both sides. This war on drugs is not only due to police brutality, but it shows that despite J. Cole’s and the officer’s main differences, they are both people who live normal lives with the same values. On the other hand, the cops and the drug dealers still have this extreme conflict that can not be solved. This is seen in the point of view and long shot of this video- still. It is strategi

cally done to further portray what this scene is saying, and the overall message of the song. The long shot allows for a vast look on everything happening. During this shot, J. Cole is being arrested by several officers as seen through the point of view of the 7 year old sister. It is an over the shoulder shot to show who is looking toward the officer. It puts us in the girl’s shoes so we can feel the trauma she is going through. 

The turning point is when the white officer holds up his weapon, shoots, and kills the young girl. He fires his gun as a result of shock and the adrenaline build up of the situation. The officer and girl are experiencing a reciprocal gaze. As they are looking at each other the song begins to fade out so the viewer really focuses on the scene and how the characters are reacting. The recurring image of the burst of light and sound is used to provoke even more emotion from the viewer. As opposed to the light representing innocence and celebration, it takes a turn for the worse. This time, the light and sound are a symbol for violence and discrimination. The motif of this climatic shot is dominated by those themes. Furthermore, the dark clothing of the DEA agents compared to the light blue dress the girl wears throughout the video are color scheme variations to further express the difference between her innocence and the officer’s violence. 

Watching a music video and being able to have the viewer see and understand the message is the goal of the artist. This is always helpful when the lyrics and shots line up to create a work of art. At two minutes and seventeen seconds the viewer sees the young girl looking up at her sparkler. The lyrics that go along with the scene are about ignoring the materialistic aspects of the world and being able to appreciate the more important things in life, like family. Also, he uses those lyrics to talk about feminism. Females and African Americans feel a lot of pressure to be perfect. Cole’s message is to focus on the kind of person you are, and not how you look, 

dress, act or choose to be. This is important because although he is playing a drug dealer in the video, his priorities are with his family, especially his younger sister. This causes the listener to have an even deeper appreciation for the music and how the video ends. J. Cole says, “Never let ‘em see you frown. And if you need a friend to pick you up I’ll be around.” He includes this in his song with the image of his sister to remind her, and all others affected by this war, that they need to stand their ground and be confident. It shows the sense of community he has and why he is dedicating this song to Aiyana Stanley Jones. The theme of unity extends to the second shot as well. As the police officers gun goes off, the song fades out and the instrumental of America’s national anthem begins to play. This is powerful because this seems to be how our country is now being protected. The anthem is a symbol for freedom and equality. An innocent life was taken, which contradicts what this country is supposed to represent. J. Cole took this as an opportunity to open up people’s eyes about the brutality of the war on drugs and to stop unnecessary violence and discrimination in our country.  

In the past few years the drug war, police brutality, and discrimination have become a lot more controversial. These topics are being addressed by influential celebrities and gaining a lot of attention. J. Cole produced the song “Crooked Smile” about these issues. His lyrics and video bring emotion out of the viewer due to of the tragedy of the young girl. However, there is an overall lesson that teaches us that we need to be confident in ourselves and our cultures in order to overcome the discrimination and violence. By dedicating this song to Aiyana Stanley Jones, J. Cole is targeting the American people to wake up, come together, and stop the war on drugs.
