A Political Statement Powered by Typography
“Tell the Truth” — a rap collaboration by Mos Def, Immortal Technique, and Eminem — is a passionate political statement slamming the Bush administration’s actions regarding 9/11 and his War of Terrorism. Watch with caution if you’re at work, or at least put the headphones on so you don’t get in trouble.
The words are powerful by themselves, but to have them illustrated typographically in this video adds another level of depth to the raw and visceral energy of the message. I don’t really follow rap music, so sometimes the words run together to my untrained ears, and the artist’s message is diminished. Here, the typography serves as a sort of closed-caption, though much more interpretive.
Apparently, the song’s received some criticism for its content, with some detractors saying Immortal Technique is only doing this for political shock value, and others defending the position that Bush was not responsible for 9/11. Some are even questioning whether this video is considered art.
Is this art?
What do you think? Regardless of your political viewpoints or whether or not you believe 9/11 was an inside job (remember, this is a design blog and not a political one), do you think this video could be argued as a work of art? Do you consider “politically inflammatory” spoken word or rap a form of art?
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