
In 2010, the African American community 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 black 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. Cole’s video and lyrics come together to portray how establishing and close-up shots, color contrast, and symbolism convey the message that unnecessary violence occurs due to discrimination.

(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. J. Cole uses the light and sounds of the sparkler as a recurring motif throughout the video. 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. 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 emotion evoked from this image connects with the racism seen during the war on drugs. This shot is innocent, but the circumstances changed quickly. J. Cole included this irony as a way for the viewer to relate and feel a connection for this girl and her family. The girl looking up and smiling at the sparkler shows how peaceful the moment is. This leads the viewer to infer that something may go wrong in the next moments. In conclusion, this first still uses color contrasts and a close up shot to portray how innocent people are discriminated against which results in unnecessary violence and death. 

(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. This climatic scene is   strategically done to further portray what this scene is saying, and the overall message of the song. The visuals are directed to attract viewers who may not believe in respecting authority, but is important that the message is fair to both sides. This shot’s goal is to stimulate empathetic feelings. He uses the 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. Furthermore, the long shot is also used to allow for a vast look at everything happening. There are several white police officers arresting a black drug dealer. However, the gun is pointed at the innocent black girl. Cole is portraying that this war is taking innocent lives. He fires his gun as the officer and girl are looking at each other with 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 is once again used as a color contrast to provoke emotion from the viewer. As opposed to the light representing innocence and celebration, they are symbols for violence and discrimination. The motif of this climatic shot is dominated by those themes. The climatic shot seen at 3:51 uses an over the shoulder and long shot with a reciprocal gaze to create an emotional connection to how the war on drugs is taking innocent lives due to discrimination. 

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 external appearances  and being able to appreciate the more important things in life, like family values. African Americans feel a lot of pressure to be perfect. Cole’s message is for people to focus on the kind of person someone is, and not how one looks, dresses, or is stereotyped 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 officer’s gun goes off, the song fades out. An instrumental version 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 and America is a place for this. However, there are still many occurrences of racism and discrimination. 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 more prevalent. These topics are being addressed by influential celebrities and gaining 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. Along with cultural pride, he is also recognizing that other people need to have more tolerance. This generation needs to begin to accept people of different races and end stereotypes. 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. He gains our attention by using vivid video shots and color contrasts as symbols for the reality of what is happening in our world today.
