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Leftfield ft. Afrika Bambaataa - Afrika Shox (Analysis) revised

Date post: 30-Nov-2015
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Analysis of the music video for 'Afrika Shox' directed by Chris Cunningham and exploring some of the theories of genre associated.
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Leftfield ft. Afrika Bambaataa – Afrika Shox
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Page 1: Leftfield ft. Afrika Bambaataa - Afrika Shox (Analysis) revised

Leftfield ft. Afrika Bambaataa – Afrika Shox

Page 2: Leftfield ft. Afrika Bambaataa - Afrika Shox (Analysis) revised

The second establishing shot of the police car immediately sets up a feeling of menace. The non-diegetic sound of the siren connotes the idea of New York as being a dystopia; an undesirable, unfriendly and frightening place. This is represented by the siren symbolising trouble, crime and chaos. The cut between the police car and the security man dressed in yellow also suggests a society controlled/restricted by the authorities, who may well be corrupt. The fact that the security/police man is white also reinforces the idea that society is controlled by a white authority. The lights of the police car could also represent the genre of the music as they are almost like strobe lights, further signifying the electronic/progressive house genre.

The opening shot is of a large characterless building, typical of the dystopian/corporate world. It is a low angle which connotes intimidation and also places the building in a position of power. This symbolises the wealth and power of America and New York, whilst also belittling the veteran/zombie. The way that the sky is clouded with mist/smog also contributes to the feeling of a dystopian city; limiting the vision of the citizens and restricting them (both literally and figuratively). The idea of a dystopia could be linked to Claude Levi-Strauss as it makes a “constant creation of conflict/opposition” and this is important because it drives the narrative. The dystopian location of New York could be linked to several sci-fi films that also make use of a dystopia. For example, “Blade Runner” is largely based around the idea of a dystopian society.

Page 3: Leftfield ft. Afrika Bambaataa - Afrika Shox (Analysis) revised

The first few opening shots are mostly static long or mid shots, showing the expanse of the corporate world and its superiority. This changes as the audience are introduced to the grimy back streets and alleyways; low angles and swooping tracking shots are used to depict the zombie like figures and those who aren’t on the same social level as the businessmen and women. The way that the camera moves down could also be a way of bringing the audience down to the level of the ‘second class citizens’. Before the audience are introduced to the veteran/zombie, another lifeless looking man is shown clinging to a fence. The way that he is grasping the wire fence could connote how he and others similar to himself are trapped by the corporate world, oppressed, even. Additionally, the chain link fence could be a symbol for a prison, whether this be a literal prison or the idea of a society controlled by a few powerful people, much like a prison. The dull urban lighting with a blue/grey hue is reminiscent of dystopian thriller films, such as “The Matrix”, “Minority Report” and “Equilibrium”. These films were all released around the same time, possibly explaining the similar aesthetic look.

In this shot, the audience is placed on the same level as the zombie meaning that they share the same second class position. In this way, Leftfield may have been aiming to empathise with the black man and allow the audience to feel sympathy for him. However, this sympathy could also be contributing to the idea of segregation (as it could be viewed as belittling him) because white people shouldn’t have to sympathise with ethnic minorities in the first place, as every one should be viewed as equal. Notice how the zombie has his hand against the wall and stumbles, this could be connoting the idea that he is weak or perhaps not used to this kind of society. This could be a possible link to the slave trade through the 16th and 19th centuries, as many of the individuals suffered greatly from the shock of blinding light, unusual surroundings and oppression. This is a link to the representation of ethnicity and the theme of racism.

Page 4: Leftfield ft. Afrika Bambaataa - Afrika Shox (Analysis) revised

The dim lighting suggests a gritty and undesirable location, showing the darker side to big cities such as New York. The dull/dark lighting could represent the lack of vision and control that the inhabitants actually have in comparison to the control possessed by the authority figures (such as the Alliance Security man and the police car). This is especially apparent now after word broke out that the National Security Agency (NSA) have been monitoring and collecting every single piece of information from every computer in the USA without permission. This shows the control and power of the authorities over the minorities and links to the idea of ‘one nation under CCTV’.

A piece of graffiti by the infamous Banksy, commenting on the suppression of the nation by CCTV. Note how the piece has been put up next to a security camera,

adding to the irony.

The use of handheld/point of view shots represent the confusion and chaos surrounding the veteran/zombie as he stumbles out in to the hostile environment. This again could be linked to the dystopian location and also the character that the audience follow. The linear narrative structure follows Goodwin’s theory of music videos being structured to give a good sense of story telling and to contradict or illustrate the lyrics. In this case the video seems to contradict the lyrics as the repetition of the word ‘Africa’ goes against the urban setting seemingly inhabited by mostly white working class characters. However, the narrative that is constructed throughout the video applies itself more to Barthes Code of open texts; the ending (and much of the video) is ambiguous and open to interpretation. Afrika Shox combines both continuity editing and montage editing; the latter relies on symbolic association of ideas between shots and so it applies more to the action in the video.

Page 5: Leftfield ft. Afrika Bambaataa - Afrika Shox (Analysis) revised

This shot reverse shot sequence shows the opposition created between ethnic groups. The veteran/zombie reaches out for help and the white business man simply looks before returning to his newspaper. The fact that he is reading a newspaper indicates that he is culturally aware, yet still ignores the man in need of help. This connotes the racial binary opposition that is still unfortunately present in some places of society. This binary opposition can be linked to Levi Strauss’ theory of conceptual opposition driving the narrative. Linking this to a wider context; this contrast or opposition could represent the slave trade, in which Africans were seen as inferior. This shot reverse shot connotes this opposition and notion of slaves being suppressed. The video acts as a reminder of the struggle of a minority amongst a ‘white mans world’.

The veteran/zombie is wearing dog tags, suggesting that he was perhaps part of the Vietnam war, in which a large percentage of the ethnic minority population of America was sent to fight. There are persistent negative stereotypes surrounding Vietnam veterans, suggesting that they are psychologically devastated, bitter, homeless people who had a hard time readjusting to society. The video could be exploring this concept through the zombie like veteran, being neglected by almost everyone he comes across. The narrative of this music video could also be explained by Gunther Kress’ theory of a frequently repeated social occasion; the stereotypical representations surrounding veterans are a result of many people spreading rumors, that aren’t always true, so much that these rumors become truths.

Page 6: Leftfield ft. Afrika Bambaataa - Afrika Shox (Analysis) revised

The underground nature of the tracks genre (electronica) is symbolised/connoted here by the use of an underground car park. This represents the roots of the genre and how it started in the underground before rising to popularity. Note the light being reflected off of the wet tarmac, a generic signifier which pays homage to the thriller genre (chiaroscuro/noir lighting). An interesting observation is the break dancers; they are all white. Break dancing originated amongst the African American and Puerto Rican youths living in New York City in the 1970’s, danced to a hip-hop beat and making up one of the four elements of hip-hop. Thus, B-boying predominantly originated in ethnic minorities in New York, along with hip-hop and so it is contradictory that the white dancers have colonised this style of dancing (although breaking has now been widely adopted amongst many communities). The quick cuts seen in this scene and throughout the music video match the genre and the upbeat tempo, whilst also keeping the audience interested. Levi-Strauss’ theme of opposition can be seen here again with the chiaroscuro lighting being reflected.

The only person that offers the veteran/zombie any help whatsoever throughout the video is the man who watches the car park. This man (who is played by Afrika Bambaataa) also seems to be one of the few characters who actually notice the veterans presence. It seems ironic because the only help offered is from a person of the same ethnic group, all of the white men ignore the veteran/zombie. This could be a reflection about how there is still inequality between ethnic groups within a modern society. In addition, the low angle seems to empower the man, contrasting the rest of the video in which the zombie is looked down upon by white characters. The focus of Afrika Shox is on racism and that in a corporate world the black protagonist is invisible and meaningless, in other words sub-human and inferior. This is explicitly obvious in the zombie-like state of the character.

Page 7: Leftfield ft. Afrika Bambaataa - Afrika Shox (Analysis) revised

This ending is what lead me to think that the video is an open text, according to Barthes Codes. Despite the zombie being hit by the car, providing what seems a closed ending text, it could still be interpreted as open because of the way the zombie evaporates. This causes the audience to question what this figure actually was, as he only leaves behind dust. This could connote the fragility and vulnerability of human life by how easily it can be destroyed, but also how a person can be ground down by society. The ending is also ambiguous because the way that the zombie just disappears allows the possibility that he was actually never there in the first place, instead he was just a vehicle for the audience to see the other side of a society that is controlled by authorities and the people that it affects the most. If this was so, it would explain why so many of the characters in the video were seen to be completely ignoring the zombie; this would translate well because many middle class citizens turn a blind eye to poverty because it makes them feel guilty.

However, just before the video ends, the audience sees the taxi that hit the zombie appear to stop. There is nothing blocking the road, so this could mean that the driver saw the zombie and took notice. This leaves the ending open because the driver could get out and look, demonstrating a more caring side to humanity. On the other hand, he could simply drive on; thus continuing and reinforcing the stereotypes and idea of a ‘white man’s world’.


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