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Eric Lee

Instructor Lay

W131

10 December 2022

American 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
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gained immense support from white supremacists. "There have been reported instances of racial

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
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make peace with the black guy by hugging him. This unrealistic ending to 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 with

“with all disrespect,” clearly showing the detestation towards the whites. He shares how he has
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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 table acts as an essential element in the video. Black and White men are trying to put

all their intemperate thoughts on the table to understand how it feels to be in different shoes. It

works as a medium where they can start or try to be cognizant of the disparate story.
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Citations

“Joyner Lucas - I’m Not Racist.” YouTube, uploaded by Joyner Lucas, 28 November 2017,

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