In the Kanye West’s “Black Skinhead” music video, there are multiple important aspects that have underlying messages that most viewers might not have picked up on. Deconstructing this music video, I found that there are more than one meaning behind his most impactful scenes that even I missed analyzing this video. Some of which are the opening scene with obvious Ku Klux Klan members as well as another scene being with a faceless man. Kanye West’s  “Black Skinhead” video is about the way America has shaped how our black men are being manipulated and turned into a stereotype they all fit, new slaves. West shows this through many scenes with subtle, colorless details and with well known hate groups that help push our black men to conforming to a new age of slaves.

The first scene that was important is the opening scene with three Ku Klux Klan members. However, they are not just any KKK members. These KKK members are wearing black hoods rather than white ones. The entire video is in black and white with no other colors at any time during the video. The KKK members are two dimensional with the only movement being their eyes. The shot goes from a medium shot with no eye movements to a super closeup into a transition as soon as the eyes start moving of these men. They move their eyes rapidly from side to side as if they are looking out for something or someone in particular. It is almost as if these black men are dressed as one of what was one of the most supported hate groups in America who wanted to enforce slavery and racism and they still are not safe. Many people in todays society believe that the african american man is safe because it is against the law to be racist, and slavery is abolished. This, however, is untrue because instead of using traditional ways to enslave our black men they have reinvented. For example, using stereotypical items to control our men such as chains. They have been shaped into something they are not and still have to look out for someone or something trying to take their freedom.

The second scene that I found one of the most important out of the whole video is the faceless scene of a black man in front of black background. This man being faceless represented how America has found yet another way to dehumanize black men in our country. They have taken everything they can have to be human and have pushed them to be what Kanye refers to as New Slaves. This is by no means what our black ancestors had to go through, instead it is a modernized version of it using chains instead of shackles and things of that nature. Another way in this scene that was emphasized was this man was dancing in between what at first glance seems to just be white triangles but, resemble the same shape at the beginning with the KKK members, only this time they are white. The change in color shows the power that white America has, because throughout this whole scene he did not ever leave the area between these two triangles. Along with them being what I interpret as true KKK members, they also resemble fangs of a wolf; therefore, this shot of this man is based off through a wolf’s mouth. Kanye also showed a scene of three wolves at the beginning of the entire music video and references them numerous times throughout the song. All of these aspects of this scene support the overall meaning of shaping our black men into our New Slaves in our society. 

Throughout the music video Kanye West uses multiple mediums to get his meaning across in a chronological order. The very next scene that encompasses multiple elements would be when a faceless black man is dancing in between two fangs with a gold chain around his neck. This gold chain represents more than a simple piece of jewelry. Instead this represents the idea of New Slaves. The gold chain in society has replaced that of the iron chains, and shackles. This is how Kanye says society has found another way to enslave black people, taking their money for the stereotypical things that all black men and women wear. Along with the gold chain he raps in the song about the people who enslaved blacks ancestors in present day offering more items that all black people stereotypically wear. Some of this items included fur coats, bentleys, diamond chains, and Alexander Wang. This scene encompasses the overall theme and meaning very well because not only is it directly related to the meaning by having the gold chain be the center of attention and main focus of the scene but all while he subtly he dances between the two fangs previously discussed. The gold chain is one of the ways society has enslaved our black men in this new day and age. Using chains, which hold only monetary value, as new shackles. This chain replaces the shackles in a sense that shackles are a chain that were used to restrain slaves to keep them down. These gold chains historically and stereotypically have constantly been a desire to our black men and been where a lot of their money goes. Therefore, society still has control and keeps them down through the use of money. These fangs that are more than just fangs but are also representations of wolf fangs and KKK members. These fangs are not typical fangs, but resemble the KKK members at the beginning of the video. West uses the fangs as a fence, the faceless black man not once steps outside of his boundaries that in this case the KKK members (the wolf fangs) have placed him in. These interpretations are quite bold, but as you continue through the music video while listening to the lyrics it is quite clear that West believes our society today is the new KKK with no hoods. 

Kanye West uses different simple and plain elements to touch on a complicated topic and send a message in his music video. A topic not only complex but what is a very serious issue among the black community. Using colors, two and three dimensional figures, and direct and indirect elements such as the fangs and KKK members relationship to get his overall meaning across successfully. The significance that each of these elements brought to the table were each try different. Each element was essential of the overall theme and message of the music video and if any one of these elements were removed the message would not have been clearly established. 