The Song Crooked smile by J.Cole was released in 2013. The song itself deals with self confidence and knowing that everyone has flaws in their lives. The music video on the other hand shows the harsh reality of the war on drugs specifically on the innocent victims caught in the cross fire. Leading up to the release of the song there were multiple instances of police brutality. in 2011 Aiyana Jones was shot and killed by police in a raid targeted on the floor above Jones. Another important event in 2013 was the trial of George Zimmerman who was a neighborhood watch captain who shot an unarmed teen in Florida. A month after this song was released he was fully acquitted and no additional charges were filed.
While I normally don’t consider hip hop a political genre some artist use their platform to promote social justice and good for the community. In the song “Crooked Smile” he does just that by empowering women to know they’re worth and forget their insecurities. Beyond the song J. Cole constantly gives back to his own community of Fayetteville, NC and even started a foundation in 2011 that provides special opportunity’s to the youth.
March 2, 2021 at 10:33 am
Nick,
This song is tricky because socio-political contexts of the deaths of black men and women might not be as important as the social beauty standards, which is what J. Cole discusses in both interviews you post. So, because this song is about confidence in ones self and resisting social standards of beauty, you’re really going to need to look into those issues, and the implications of those standards on self-esteem, depression, suicidal tendencies, for men and women, and especially young women and girls. The data on trends of depression among that group are terrible and consistent with the rise of social media.
Also, your statement that you don’t “normally don’t consider hip hop a political genre” stood out to me, because hip-hop is grounded in politics. So, I’d like to challenge you to start looking to the deep social roots of the songs you’ve been listening to and to see what you uncover.
Bill