Lupe Fiasco’s “Words I Never Said” is a song in which the lyrics are very direct to the point. Fiasco discusses a variety of subjects, specifically media manipulation, the poor state of society through government inadequacies, islamophobia, and the tense state of affairs in the Middle East. Above all this, Fiasco emphasizes that silence and fear must be done away with to allow truth to rise above all. By remaining silent, we as a people allow corruption to dominate our lives. With the enhancement of a visual, Fiasco is able to illustrate his message further with the use of techniques such as color scheme, the Ludovico technique, and items of imprisonment such as restraining masks, bars, and separating glass. These techniques all revolve around a running motif of imprisonment, both physically and mentally.

The first scene of the video begins with a continuous flash of frames that show a woman being detained by agents of a police force. She is being led into a facility protected by various fences and barbed wire. The scene employs a very dark color scheme. It is night time and the uniforms of the agents and bystander are all black. The only color that disrupts the schematic is the woman’s dress, made of solid white. The surrounding blackness is symbolic of evil and corruption, detaining the woman away, whose white is symbolic of purity and innocence. The quick changes of camera angle and rush of multiple shots creates a whirlwind effect for the viewer. The audience is now invited to ask questions such as, “Why is that woman being detained?” or “What did she do to be detained in such a serious manner?”. The video then shows the front page of a newspaper with the headline, “Voice of the People, Spiritual Leader Abducted at Her Rally…”. In relation to the entire video, the effect of these elements are used to create a scene of imprisonment. The woman who represents the positive message that Fiasco is delivering, is being locked away by the opposite evils that he is preaching against. This scene first exposes the audience to a theme of imprisonment while also creating a clear relation to the overall message of the visual text. 

The woman has been imprisoned and is now subject to the Ludovico technique inside the building she was taken into. This technique is a form of aversion therapy in which the subject, the woman, is strapped to a chair and unable to move. The contraption holds her eyes open towards a screen with specific images being displayed over time in attempt to condition the subject for a particular theme. In the case of this visual text, the woman is being brainwashed against her outspoken traits against corruption. Not only is this another form of physical imprisonment, but it is also a mental one. While being physically unable to move in anyway, her mind is being forcefully fed propaganda. The design of this scene has been carefully employed to further the overall message of how we as a people have been manipulated to look past the real issues our society faces. Simultaneously, the recurrent motif of imprisonment remains evident. 

Moving forward in the video, the bystander mentioned earlier has now arrived at a bus. The doors open and he looks up at the bus driver who has a mask fixated around his mouth, rendering him unable to speak. As the man enters the bus, the scene shifts to the passengers of the bus, all of whom have on the same mask as the bus driver. In a sense, the entire bus has been constrained by this mask which is symbolic of how society is restricted to not speak out or voice their opinions. As the man begins to voice his concerns about society, in stark contrast to the situation on the bus, authorities arrive to arrest the man. Not only does the man physically being restrained continue the theme of imprisonment, the masks also harp on the mental restraint that has been evident in the video. In this instance, the audience is exposed to a societal example where a person who does not conform to the silent mentality is arrested for his actions. These scenes begin to stir up feelings of outrage in the audience as they are more likely to live in a place that accepts free speech and thought, rather than being incarcerated for it. 

The man has now been placed in an interrogation room that holds a separating glass between him and a panel of representatives, akin to the United Nations, an organization who make large scale decisions that have an impact on millions of people worldwide. In the backdrop of the panel, there is a mugshot wall which is symbolic of these leaders being the true criminals, holding a charge of corruption. This well-defined setting is placed in an area that is very associative with prison. Fiasco intends to show how our leaders have been negligent and rather poor in their decision making as he flips the traditional position of the bad guy being in front of the mugshot wall. His message against governmental crime comes to fruition here. Meanwhile, his transfer into a traditional cell with steel bars has the setting constantly relate to imprisonment, which allows this motif to help support his points. 

The final scene of the visual text fully encapsulates Fiasco’s main theme.  The mask shown earlier in the video has made a reappearance attached to woman. When the woman removes the mask, she smiles, indicating a relief from the constraints. The backdrop of the scene is of nature and vibrant colors, signifying a peaceful environment compared to the stark clash of black and white previously mentioned. These two elements go hand in hand, as the removal of the “silencing” mask coincides with the peaceful scenery. This shows how when positivity replaces immorality in our society, the world is a better place. Up to this point, many of the visual elements sought to create more awareness about corruption and deceit that society has been facing. This scene culminates the end of that imprisonment. 

Together, these scenes work different aspects of Fiasco’s theme of fighting injustice by speaking up. Earlier scenes work to encapsulate what exactly is wrong with society’s current situation, while later scenes give a blueprint on how speaking up can contribute to a better democracy and sustained equality. A running motif of physical and mental imprisonment is a key tool used to visually represent this message. By analyzing these forms of imprisonment, the essence of Fiasco’s content becomes clear. 
