It’s probably not 1:1 literal symbolism, but I suspect that one of the keys to the cars is in the outro
The cars are part of the reality that we ignore while we are distracted. They are part of the fabric of real people’s lives. The expensive foreigns are fake status. Like all the dancing and singing.
Needs more Abed.
Nope. Doesn’t speak to me, at all. I don’t get the hype. I did like the dancing, did not like the violence.
I didn’t like the violence either, and I think that’s kind of the point. It was supposed to be jarring and kind of horrifying; it wasn’t supposed to be fun or enjoyable.
I think that’s exactly true, but I also believe the cars carry meaning on another level. They’re often sitting there, doors open with the blinkers on. Like as in a traffic stop bases on racial profiling. As if the drivers have been hauled off, beaten, jailed or killed.
And yet, how many times do we hear about some horrible killing, some racist fuck blows away some innocent people in a church and five minutes later everyone’s done tutting and is watching some mindless diversion on the teevee like it never happened. Black artists captivate us because they need to make a living and express themselves through their art but while they’re being revered their not quite so talented brothers and sisters are being killed and damaged and profiled by cops and committing suicide but let one of them use their art to call attention to what the reality of black lives is like (and all the bling and supercars and stupid shit is window dressing and fantasy) and it’s all “Shut up, how dare you politicize the violence your community experiences on a daily basis, how dare you use your art to talk about something that’s important to you instead of things we want to believe are important to you? Get back in line, know your place, be entertaining in the way we like or we will end you.” As a black man dances through an encapsulation of life in America, pretending to blow people away the way white men do, with no attention being paid, but suddenly everyone flees when he stands without a gun at all because the unarmed black man is obviously the scary one, and the cops finally take notice of him when he smokes a blunt. Yeah, this IS America.
Indeed. The disjoint between the happy dancing and violence was kind of the whole entire point of the video.
But you can’t stop watching it. Why?
Because it said profound things in surprising, creative ways?
Sometimes great art makes you uncomfortable or at least pushes you out of your comfort zone.
Count me among those who have watched it multiple times. Very well done video and song.
Also I may be developing a slight non-sexual man crush on Donald Glover these days. Seeing him as Lando probably won’t help that.
Here’s some violence, let’s dance? That’s profound?
Because the overall piece was incredible and incredibly original, IMO. Especially Glover himself. That individual pieces were jarring as a part of that whole enhances, rather than takes away from, the artistry, even while some of the parts were not enjoyable on their own. Kind of like an amazingly well done painting of a disturbing scene.
Really? That’s all you got? Okay. Cool, then your response makes sense. I see much, much more.
I hadn’t even noticed that all the cars were stopped cars.
That’s a whole other layer.
There is a lot going on.
I will say it was refreshing not to see a bunch of half-naked women doing stripper moves in a video. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just old.
Your expectations for hip-hop are: music good just for dancing and half naked women doing stripper moves?
You thought it might have half naked women doing stripper moves… Why?
Geez, look at some videos. Because so many of them do?
2:44 to 3:00 may have been about 17 seconds of silence for the 17 victims in the Parkland school shooting.
This video has so many levels to it.
Someone pointed out in the Buzzfeed comments, I think, that they thought the old cars were the same make & models involved in some recent police brutality/murder cases. Such as Philando Castille (1997 white Oldsmobile) and Walter Scott (1991 Mercedes). I don’t know enough about cars to ID them in the video, but I wouldn’t put it past them to have that sort of detail included.