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Eric Lee

Instructor Lay

W131

10 December 2022

Exaggerated Representation of Racism

Inquiry Question: How does Joyner Lucas use the music video for “I’m Not Racist” to portray

the realities of America in 2017?

Joyner Lucas' "I'm Not Racist" music video talks about a controversial topic, racial

segregation. To make it more specific, it is a song that expresses the intensifying conflict in 2017

between white and black people, the mainstream race of the United States, with each other's

arguments. The music video begins with a white man wearing a "Make America Great Again"

hat complaining about how African Americans are lazy, aimless, and shiftless and how there is a

double standard for using the N-word. Then it is followed by a black man rebutting the

stereotypes and discussing his encounter with white people. The conversation between the two is

somehow raw and extreme, which most people will avoid. However, rather than shying away,

Joyner Lucas successfully uses an exaggerated portrayal of both sides of the racism argument to

capture the realities and viewpoints of America in 2017 effectively.

To provide a brief background of the song, the 2016 presidential election was alarming

news for the world. Donald Trump has won the election defeating Hillary Clinton, who was

expected to be elected. Trump administration's racist rhetoric has shocked the community, which

gained immense support from white supremacists. "There have been reported instances of racial
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taunting, desecration of civil rights monuments, and harassment of blacks and other minorities

by white Trump Supporter." (Williams 2017) The escalating antagonism between the races led

by the country's president was astonishingly widespread by changing people's perception of

norms regarding racism. Before and during the 2016 presidential election, Crandall, Miller, and

White (2018) conducted interviews with a convenience sample of people. Even while the

respondents did not display increased levels of prejudice, they discovered that participants stated

that there was an increase in the perceived acceptability of expressing bias toward those groups

that Trump had targeted throughout the campaign.

Various visual elements can be sighted throughout the “I’m Not Racist” music video.

Two men facing each other in the middle of an empty warehouse with a table creates a sense of

radicalness and extremeness of the music video’s message. Having a table in the center of a

warehouse where wall paints are stripped down shows the unusual atmosphere as it is not an

accustomed interior and scene to have a conversation. However, removing all the unnecessary

ornaments behind the scenes helps the audience to listen purely and observe the body expression

and lyrics of the video. White man gets to share his claim regarding black first; his gesture is

merely respectful yet blunt. He shows his middle finger, slams the table, and points his finger at

the black man. His insolent manners show the enormity of hatred he holds against African

Americans. However, he seems like an ordinary man who is not a neo-Nazi, white supremacist,

or member of the KKK. He is a typical white man upholding all the irrational and intemperate

ideas. This portrayal awakens the audience to the possibility of the prevalence of racist

sentiments, which very ordinary people can hold. At the end of the video, the white man takes

his hat off and tries to make peace with the black guy by hugging him. This unrealistic ending to
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today’s society emphasizes how simple it is to understand and respect their differences; listen to

others.

For the effective delivery of the message, Joyner Lucas has used caricatural and

exaggerated lyrics within the music video. As soon as the music video starts, a white man uses

the N-word towards black men, which is the term used to degrade them back in slavery. He

makes fun of the “Black Lives Matter” protest saying black men are not willing to pay the bills

but deadbeats and more. The extremity and candidacy of the lyrics somehow shocked the

viewers but, at the same time, raised gravity and relativity toward the connoting message behind

them.

“Talking about slavery like you were around back then.”

“But I'd rather see a black man claiming his son”

“So, you can keep living off free government assistance?”

As the song progress, the white man gets more aggressive and racist. The N-word went from

Nigga, Nigga, Nigga, to a Nigger with a strong pronunciation of ‘er.’ He then continues to

criticize the entire black culture with how blacks are praising Tupac, appearances, and more. The

denial of black culture meant being black was enough reason to die or be stuck in societal

racism. Yet, at the same time, he claims not to be a racist because he has a relative or a friend

who is black. The juxtaposition of a racist who claims not to be one emphasizes his arguments in

a very intimidating and aggravating manner. However, in the end, he asked the black man to

share his story and how he views the white race.

The Black man joins the discourse in the second verse, calling out the White man for his

remarks disparaging the Black community and refuting each assertion made. The verse starts
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with “with all disrespect,” clearly showing the detestation towards the whites. He shares how he

has been affected by the history, explaining why whites should not use N-word, and pervasive

racism within the society. Similar to the white man’s argument black man’s words were also

very extreme and irrational.

“You don't know what it's like to be in a frying pot

You don't know what it's like to mind your business

And get stopped by the cops and not know if you 'bout to die or not

You worry 'bout your life, so you take mine”

However, he confesses all his feelings and experiences as a black man living in the United States

of America. His claim's frustration is large enough for the white man and the audience to

visualize and relate to his hardship.

The argument between the two races represents the whole race. By setting the character

with radical prejudice, the “I’m Not Racist” music video successfully speak for the mass.

Viewers didn’t possess all those intemperate ideas but somehow few of those. With the shocking

candidacy and exaggeration of the lyrical and visual elements, Joyner Lucas could suggest to the

viewers the resolution of this never-ending race segregation, sharing each other’s shoes.
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Citations

1. “Joyner Lucas - I’m Not Racist.” YouTube, uploaded by Joyner Lucas, 28 November

2017,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43gm3CJePn0&ab_channel=JoynerLucas

2. Williams, Armstrong. “Black Americans in the Season of Trump.” no. 122, 2017, pp.12-

14, 220-224. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/transition.122.1.07

3. Crandall, C. S., Miller, J. M., & White, M. H. (2018). Changing Norms Following the

2016 U.S. Presidential Election: The Trump Effect on Prejudice. Social Psychological

and Personality Science, 9(2), 186–192. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550617750735