In today’s modern society there is always a battle between government and the people. One of the largest issues seen today is the oppression from police. Many American citizens will say that the police in today’s society are taking away rights and have gained too much power. This frustration with police forces all around the country is a big reason why the Black Lives Matter movement is making so much headway. Almost every day there is a news headline talking about an officer shooting a defenseless citizen either killing them or wounding them. This constant battle between officers and citizens has sparked well known celebrities to speak up and try to stop this injustice. Lupe Fiasco was one of the celebrities to make stand and try to promote change in his music video “Words I Never Said ft. Skylar Grey”. Fiasco is able to express how he feels about society through his lyrics but also through the visual elements of the music video. He shows what is wrong with today’s society and shows how change needs to happen to keep the peace. 

As previously stated, almost every day there is a news headline about police violence against innocent people. Fiasco opens the music video with a news headline stating, “Voice of the People: Spiritual Leader Abducted at Her Rally on Saturday” (Words I Never Said). The woman who was arrested is the reason Fiasco wants to make a change. She was arrested and physically abused by police officers for a peaceful rally. Fiasco is demonstrating how the issue of police violence isn’t only directed toward young African American men but is seen by all races, genders and ages. In the following scene Fiasco walks onto a public bus which was an establishing shot and every person on the bus is wearing a mask over their mouths which can be implied that it stops people from speaking. Fiasco makes it clear that the oppression is seen by all races and ages because he shows men and women of all races and ages sitting with these masks on. As Fiasco begins rapping, there are multiple shots of people on their cell phones typing because in a society where physical speech is limited the only way to communicate is through texting. Even as the police come onto the bus to arrest Fiasco for his public outburst, it can be seen how dystopian society has become. The tones and colors are very dark and bleak. They give the impression of a dull world without any positivity or happiness. The lack of freedoms makes this even more evident. People are not able to express themselves and without personal expression people are all in the same position without freedom. The police in this scene are also important to look at. They also wear masks but their masks are gas masks. This points to the bigger issue of police violence coming from the government and not the police officers. The officers are the big governments pawns who do the “dirty work” and take the blame from upset citizens. 

In the following scene after Fiascos arrest, he is brought into a room to be questioned for his crimes. This interrogation is not normal because he is talking to representatives of different countries including the United States, Great Britain, and Israel. The representation of different countries at the interrogation leads to the point the big government is the reason oppression is taking place. The large countries, that have power, are running the world in Fiascos mind. The other countries are seen again throughout the music video during the small clips. Fiasco made it important to include images of war on the Gaza Strip, the World Trade Center on 9/11, and thousands of people in the Mecca. All of these examples point to religion and how important of an impact it can have. Fiasco is expressing that all freedoms are slowly being taken away including religion. Another common pop up clip during the interrogation scene are video of 50’s and 60’s era America. Fiasco does this to show that in the past the same issues were seen as they are now but not to the same extent. The most colorful videos of the entire music video are clips of the United States during the 50’s and 60’s. This is very important to consider because even though not all was well in the world then, today’s society is even darker and getting worse. 

In the final scene of the music video, the woman who was arrested in the opening scene is sitting alone in a room watching a video. The video she is watching is attempting to brainwash her with how the government wants her to view the United States. By brainwashing her, she will no longer have her “spiritual rallies”. The government is attempting to brainwash anyone who speaks out against them so that they can have control. Fiasco makes his last important point of the music video with this scene. He makes it clear that the problems with modern society today is the power that the government has over all of the citizens. The government is attempting to brainwash people so they can have what they want which is power above everyone else. Fiasco ends the video with this point because he wants the audience to see that there is an issue and together that issue can be overcome. 

Throughout Lupe Fiasco’s music video, he makes it clear that there are a lot of injustices in America even today. Through the use of filmic language Fiasco is able to make this clear to the audience. Government has too much power today which is leading to the issue of police violence in the United States. The best way to fix societies issues is to give power back to the citizens and give rights back to everyone regardless of race, gender, or age. When all citizens have equal rights, that is when the country will be able to prosper the best.  
