Killer Mike - Untitled
by Christian Prajitno
Introduction
Michael
Render, better known by his stage name Killer Mike, was born in Atlanta in
1975. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s he made a name for himself as battle
rapper in Atlanta’s underground Hip-Hop scene. A few years later Mike met Antwan
André Patton aka Big Boi from the famous Hip-Hop Duo Outkast. After their
breakthrough, the Duo approached Mike and recorded the song “The Whole World”
with him. Shortly after, he signed to Columbia Records and released his first
single and album in 2003. In the following years he put out various LP’s on
different record labels and in the year 2012 he released R.A.P. Music.[1]
This piece of work received widespread acclaim e.g. from the Chicago Tribune,
Okayplayer, Spin Magazine, Pitchfork Media, etc.[2]
The song Untitled, which will be discussed in this paper, appeared on R.A.P.
Music and is a rather personal track that touches on different subjects.
Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that only the verses are rapped by Killer
Mike, whereas the hook is sung by the artist Scar.
Benjamin
Dickinson is a director, writer and actor. He is known for his work as a
director for various movies and short films, such as Super Sleuths, First
Winter and Creative Control.[3]
Moreover, he directed the video clips for North American Scum (LCD
Soundsystem), Gettin Up (Q-Tip), Get Myself Into It (The
Rapture), etc.[4]
This paper
analyzes Benjamin Dickinson's video clip for Killer Mike's song Untitled.
Therefore, I will start by examining the visualization in general. As a second
step the analogies between the song and the visuals will be dealt with. Thus, I
will answer the question: In how far are the lyrics or musical elements
represented in the music video? Last but not least, the paper ends by giving a
conclusion.
Visualization
The main
characteristic of this video clip are the various parallels to baroque
paintings. This idea of reusing art is not a new idea in the music video
industry and appears in many clips. Nonetheless, not everybody is convinced of
this technique, because it may be considered as a simple copy of the actual
piece of art without any creative input. Despite this skepticism the reuse of
art in video clips is actually self-evident and reasonable. When shooting a
video for a song, in most cases there is very little time to present a complex
discourse and hence, the director sometimes needs to fall back on already known
models, patterns or aesthetics. However, this technique can be found throughout
the entire history of art and thus it should not be regarded as less creative.[5]
The references
to baroque art can be found right from the beginning of the video clip. In
order to introduce the audience to the baroque style, Dickinson chose to
display a still life with fruits and an hourglass for the first seconds. Immediately
after that, the video shows a framed portrait of Killer Mike, being depicted as
a deity. First, this image can be seen from a distance, but then the camera
zooms into the frame and as it gets closer, Killer Mike comes to life and
starts to rap. In doing so the audience is drawn into the world of baroque art
and remains in this context throughout the entire video. Therefore, still lifes
appear not only at the beginning of the clip but also at 2:00 and 2:04. The
depiction of motionless items as still lifes became an own genre during the
baroque period and is thus often associated with this epoch.[6]
Another
reference to paintings is the fact, that even apart from the still lifes, most
scenes display only little or at least very slow movements (examples at 0:31,
0:47, 1:14, 1:21, etc.). Furthermore, it is striking that Killer Mike and Scar
often remain motionless and move nothing but their mouth in order to rap or
sing (examples at 0:35, 0:53, 1:06, 1:18, etc.). Both of these effects
reinforce the impression that the audience is watching a mixture of a music
video and baroque style paintings.
However,
this is not the only technique that Dickinson uses in order to bring out this
effect. Since baroque painting is sometimes even referred to as the art of colors,
it is quite common that colors merge and contours blur.[7]
Nevertheless, the blurring of shapes does not only appear in baroque painting
but it is a frequently used stylistic device in paintings in general and in
photography. The contrast between cloudy shapes and highly defined figures
immediately draws the viewer's attention to the latter, as it takes some time
to identify the blurry parts. Dickinson's motivation for the use of this
technique is probably not the highlighting of certain aspects, but rather
another reference to paintings (examples at 0:23, 0:54, 1:40, 1:59, etc.).
Apart from
that, there are many scenes, in which the use of light reminds the viewer of
portraiture. In these paintings people are rarely depicted in front of an
entirely black background. Instead, there is a dim light around the portrayed
person that slowly merges into darkness. In the video clip Dickinson tries to
evoke the same effect by illuminating the fog behind a person (examples at
0:27, 1:29, 1:43, 1:49, etc.). In other scenes people are put in the limelight
with the help of a light cone that shines down from the top of the screen. Such
a spotlight is not common in baroque paintings, but it does not really break
with the concept and in the video it represents a religious enlightenment
(examples at 0:13, 0:30, 0:35, 1:06, etc.). The genre of portraiture was quite
famous in baroque painting, because people enjoyed being depicted in an
impressive posture. In this respect, it was common that people posed in
military uniforms or other costumes.[8]
This aspect may offer one explanation for the question, why Killer Mike is
partly depicted as a dictator in a military uniform (examples at 1:30, 1:40,
1:43, etc.).
Another
parallel to paintings appears when examining the background. Every scene takes
place in front of a dimly lit or entirely black background, which implies that
there is no setting during the entire video. This technique appears in
paintings and photographs, but it is very untypical for a music video.
The last
aspect that reminds the viewer of the baroque period is the reenactment of
three famous pieces of art from this epoch. There is Judith Beheading
Holofernes and Salome with the Head of John the Baptist by
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio and The Toilet of Venus by Diego
Velázquez.[9]
Lastly, it
can be stated that the interaction of all these effects create the impression
that the viewer is not watching a video clip, but is rather looking at
paintings from the baroque period. Nonetheless, it needs to be pointed out that
only the way the video displays characters and scenes reminds the audience of
baroque paintings, but some of the displayed characters and scenes are not in
line with this impression. For example the portrayal of Malcolm X or the fight
scene with the baseball bat are obviously too modern in order to be a motive in
baroque painting (examples at 0:57, 1:15, 1:30, 2:24, etc.).
Another
aspect that is dominant throughout the video clip is religion. The audience is
confronted with Saint Mary and baby Jesus, a deity and a nun (examples at 0:12,
0:30, 0:47, 1:06, etc.). However, the display of religious elements is in many
cases an analogy to the lyrics and will therefore be analyzed in the following
chapter.
Analogies between the
Lyrics and the Visuals
The music
video for Untitled rarely represents musical elements. This can be
explained by the director's intention to display a clip that resembles a
painting. Hence, Dickinson tried to avoid dancing and movements that harmonize
with the rhythm. Nonetheless, there are some parallels between the music and
the visuals. For example the music abruptly stops at 2:42 and 3:08 and in order
to represent this silence the screen suddenly turns black. Since these
parallels are very rare, the main part of this chapter is focusing on the
lyrics.
In Verse 1
at 0:23 Mike asks “Will I die slain like my king by a terrorist?”, while the
video illustrates a reenactment of the painting Judith Beheading Holofernes.
On the one hand, Killer Mike is shown as Holofernes, as he is brutally and
insidiously assassinated in this scene. On the other hand, the lyrics make a
reference to the murder of Martin Luther King. Thus, Dickinson did not try to
play out the content of the lyrics, but instead he chose an image with a
similar topic in order to highlight the message of Mike's lyrics. Moreover, the
reenacted painting by Caravaggio can also be seen at 1:01, 1:25 and 2:58. This
are the moments whenever the topic of assassination reappears in the lyrics
(“You usually don't know it's you until you getting killed”, “Them people might
try to have you killed” and “I seen how I die”). Furthermore, Mike asks himself
how his woman would handle his death and thus, he expresses the questions “Will
my woman be Coretta, take my name and cherish it? Or will she Jackie O, drop
the Kennedy, remarry it?”. When rapping the first question, the artist is
depicted in a close-up view, which underlines the fact, that he is posing a
very personal question. At 0:30 during the second question the video shows a
nun, who resembles the above-mentioned Coretta Scott King and is played by
Killer Mike's wife.[10]
The director did not only make a connection to the lyrics by portraying the
woman from an angle so that she resembles a young Coretta King, but he even
decided to make her a nun in order to represent sexual abstinence. The fact
that the nun is played by Mike's wife additionally reinforces the connection
between the lyrics and the visuals. In the following lines, the artist keeps
talking about the same topic and says that the thought of his wife remarrying
another man is very disparaging. In the meantime, the video clip falls back on
the reenactment of the famous painting The Toilet of Venus. Venus, the
Roman goddess of beauty and sexual love, is often associated with the sin of
voluptuousness.[11] This
means that Dickinson, once again, makes use of an image that reinforces Mike's
lyrics. Towards the end of the first verse, there are two scenes that reflect
the same content than the lyrics. Mike says “The Lord give a load, you got to
carry it like Mary did […] It takes a woman's womb to make a Christ or Dalai
Lama” and at 0:47 the video clip displays a woman with her baby, who can be
identified as Saint Mary with baby Jesus because of their clothes. A comparable
scene can be found a few seconds later at 0:57, when Killer Mike raps “I
present you Malcolm X for those who saying that He can't”, while he is dressed
up like Malcolm X. Consequently, scenes like the reenactment of The Toilet
of Venus or Judith Beheading Holofernes reinforce the message of the
lyrics, whereas depictions of Saint Mary with Jesus or Malcolm X literally
reflect the lyrics.
The
beginning of the hook reminds the listener of a devout ejaculation, as it
starts with the following words: “Dear Lord, have mercy on the ones that go
through life like it's a game. Dear Lord, I won't be forced to shut up when I
don't feel the same”. In the meantime the video clip displays Scar as a
catholic believer with a rosary around his neck at 1:06 and a nun that is
looking with awe towards the heaven at 1:12. Both of these religious characters
appear in the above-mentioned holy light and they have folded their hands in
order to pray. Obviously, these images perfectly match the first lines of the
hook, which seem to be a prayer for the vice of other people. In the rest of
the hook Scar mentions some of these sins, such as lying, stealing and killing,
while Dickinson shows a fixed-image of Killer Mike attacking Scar with a
baseball bat, a crying nun and the reenactment of Judith Beheading
Holofernes. Once again, the video reinforces the lyrics by depicting images
that can be associated with it.
At 1:40 in
the second verse Killer Mike states that he tells the “Naked truth like the
stripper that's in front of [him]”, which is visually illustrated, as the
audience sees him in his military uniform next to the naked Roman goddess of
love. A similar realization of the lyrics can be found at 1:43. Mike does not
only say “And I keep a blunt and a bible and a gun on me”, but he is literally
holding a blunt in his hand and the other two items are lying in front of him
on the table. A few lines later Killer Mike mentions the author Robert Beck,
who also goes by the name of Iceberg Slim. Like the bible and the gun, the
video also captures Iceberg Slim's book Pimp: The Story of my Life.
Aside from these literal connections between lyrics and video, at 2:05
Dickinson decided in favor of a figurative realization of the lyrics. While
Mike states “This is John Gotti painting pictures like Dali, this is Basquiat
with a Passion like Pac”, Dickinson does not illustrate a piece of art from
Dali or Basquiat, because in so doing he would break with the baroque style.
Instead he reuses the reenactment of The Toilet of Venus, with the
intention to highlight the presence of art in the lyrics and the visuals.
When the
hook sets in for the second and last time, Dickinson once again chooses images
in order to reinforce the lyrics. Even though the scenes are not the same than
the ones that were shown during the first appearance of the hook, the principle
is more or less the same.
When taking
a closer look at the outro, it is striking that there are much less analogies
between the lyrics and the video clip. At 2:54 Mike raps “So I pick a burning
bush, put it in a swisher wrap”, while he is depicted smoking. Other than that,
the song ends with the words “Until that chariot come and take a nigga home,
I'mma spit this ghetto gospel over all these gutter songs. I'm gone.” The
chariot is a biblical reference to Elijah the prophet, who went up to the
heaven in a chariot of fire.[12]
Thus, Killer Mike draws a connection between the end of this song and his
death, and so does Dickinson by fading in the reenactment of Salome with the
Head of John the Baptist, in which Mike's head is presented on a platter.
According to the Gospel of Mark, the ruler Herod Antipas had to kill John the
Baptist unwillingly because of a promise he made to Salome.[13]
Herod is played by Mike's producer El-P, so that the promise possibly
represents a binding contract in the music industry that might lead to an end
of their collaboration. In addition to that, the last scene displays Killer
Mike as Malcolm X, while he is making the gesture to shoot himself.
Whereas the
outro does not display many parallels between the lyrics and the video, it
draws the viewer's attention to the different characters that are played by
Killer Mike throughout the video. It is noticeable that only during the first
verse he is portrayed as a deity or maybe even as Jesus. As the video goes on
he is dressed up as a Gaddafi look-alike in a military uniform. One
explanation, which was already given in the preceding chapter, could be the
fact that an impressive depiction in a military costume was a popular motive in
baroque paintings. However, the lyrics reveal that the first verse can be
distinguished from the rest of the song. This part deals with very personal
issues, such as Mike's mortality and his wife, whereas the second verse and the
outro present a rather rough and raw image of the rapper. Thus, it could be
that these differences in style are also represented in the visuals. Another
explanation, why the director may have chosen to display Mike as Malcolm X,
Gaddafi and Jesus, “is that all who dare to question authority must be prepared
to meet their fate prematurely — be they considered martyrs or madmen”[14].
This explanation perfectly matches Mike's statement in an interview with Spin
magazine: “A lot of the things I say, people have been killed before for
saying. It challenges people and that's not always appreciated or liked. It
could get your ass an FBI file. It's something I worry about but not something
I fret about.”[15]
Conclusion
In summary,
the most striking elements in the video are the parallels to baroque paintings
and the numerous analogies between the lyrics and the visuals.
The
references to baroque style paintings can be found throughout the entire video.
Dickinson makes use of many techniques that create this impression, such as the
reenactment of famous baroque paintings, the light effects, the avoidance of
movements, etc. The presence of the baroque style conveys the impression that
the video itself is an actual piece of art.
Nevertheless,
it is necessary to mention that these parallels can only be found with regard
to the way of the presentation of the video clip. The content of the scenes by
contrast are not always in line with this concept, because Dickinson decided in
favor of a close display of the content of the lyrics. Therefore, he faded in
images that can be associated with elements of Mike’s raps as well as literal
depictions of the lyrics. This technique calls the audience’s attention to
aspects of the lyrics that may not be realized by mere listening. Concluding,
this music video has a function and is more than a pastime while listening to
the song.
Bibliography
Artist direct.
“Killer Mike Biography”.
Accessed July 27, 2014.
http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/killer-mike/1113201.
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Earls,
Irene. Baroque Art: A Topical Dictionary.
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Genius. “Untitled Lyrics”. Accessed July 27, 2014.
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[1] “Killer
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[2] “R.A.P.
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[3] “Benjamin
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[4] “Benjamin
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[5] Henry Keazor and Thorsten Wübbena, Video thrills the radio star: Musikvideos:
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[9] “Killer
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[10] “Killer
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[11] Irene
Earls, Baroque Art: A Topical Dictionary
(Westport: Greenwood Press, 1996), 286-287.
[12] “Untitled
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[13] Earls,
Baroque Art, 38-39.
[14] “Killer
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[15] “Hear
Killer Mike’s Fiery ‘R.A.P. Music’: The MC runs us through his new LP”,
accessed July 27, 2014, http://www.spin.com/articles/hear-killer-mikes-fiery-rap-music-mc-runs-us-through-his-new-lp/.