dream

theorists

analysis

gauntlett = dizzee doesn't shy away from past representations, but instead takes ownership to empower them, giving a representation of black identity that is progressive, empowered & full of hope

gilroy

  • binary of 2 worlds is used to elevate black youth culture & criticise m/c judgement
  • therefore, gilroy's notion is challenged as discourse is not colonial but instead a discourse constructed by black identity
  • "you can go far if you put your mind to it" & "you'll find the way you are, just do what you feel" shows owning own identity & fighting system

todorov

  • equilibrium = prejudice against black youths, highlighting white m/c judgement & also white privilege
  • disequilibrium = his music career (frees himself, empowerment)
  • new equilibrium = gets back into box either on his own terms, or possibly continued repression as he's only accepted when he becomes mainstream

barthes

  • red hoodie & graffiti = repeated reps have constructed them to be a symbol of rebellion
  • policeman = symbol of trust & respect
  • dizzee has taken these naturalised meanings & changed them, exposing the prejudice that exists in the audience

reps of police

reps of black & youth culture

reps of white middle-class

intertextual reference to 'punch & judy' with the violence between the puppets, acting as a criticism of white policing of black youth culture in 80s/90s - mocks police & breaks down inequalities of power

police as hypocrites - dizzee says "i was everywhere" so becomes mainstream, but also police go from being excluded behind window to dancing along with black youths wanting to be part of that culture as soon as it becomes mainstream

police go from critical to hypocritical

  • critical = mid shot of puppets shows police brutality towards black youth as white police officer attacks black youth
  • hypocritical = long shot of white police officer & youths dancing with black youths - integration & acceptance

intertextual reference of puppets = black youths controlled by higher power, aka authority & media

reps of black youth culture as rebellious & unlawful

  • youth graffitiing side of off licence building
  • two youths stealing tv together

however, reps get much more progressive throughout

  • isolating long shot of black youth engaging in break dance takes ownership of his own identity - less destructive behaviour
  • when dizzee is inside the recording studio and the policeman is battering on the window but cannot reach him perhaps suggests that music offers a ‘protection’ from the harsh realities of the outside world

white woman singing along to dizzee’s song - only begins to sing & lose judgemental expression when black youth culture becomes mainstream (also holds up his album showing support)

white middle-class represented in a hypocritical light due to mainstream acceptance - judgemental expression from female character, however as soon as black youth culture becomes mainstream, she accepts it

context

police brutality against black communities in 1980s

dream was released as a single in 2004, taken from dizzee rascal’s second album showtime

dream samples lines from happy talk, a single that was released in 1982 by captain sensible - could create a sense of nostalgia and pleasure for viewers who recognise this

references muffin the mule, a 1950s children's tv programme presented by annette mills - this reference creates an innocent, child-like backdrop & contrasts with the contemporary issues depicted

white woman shows look of disapproval/fear towards the camera - views from an outside perspective & size of woman show dominance

general analysis

white woman = reflecting the ‘typical’ or ‘expected’ response of an older audience to rap music

the period setting of the sitting room is
established through the mise-en-scène of the striped wallpaper, floral curtains and grand piano, connoting a middle-class environment that contrasts dramatically with the contemporary setting of the narrative

the stereotypically socially deprived, inner-city environment is constructed through the set and props on the piano (eg off licence building with letters missing, graffiti)

props that reference childhood include the pastel coloured building blocks, the toy-like vehicles & the puppets - this iconography establishes a sense that the video is a fable with a clear moral message

dizzee using a microphone symbolises power, as his voice can now be heard & signifies a move away from rebellion & deprivation

post-war period in britain = many people from the caribbean, india and pakistan moved to britain to work & british society was becoming more ethnically diverse as a result of this period of immigration

bluewater shopping centre banned hoodies in 2005

  • received widespread media coverage
  • have been worn by hip-hop artists since the 1980s & have become associated with rebellion & antisocial behaviour

hall

  • dizzee has agency, so is self-stereotyping to criticise the prejudice that led to those stereotypes in the first place
  • he creates a sense of otherness but around the white woman, as he has the power & agency

levi-strauss

  • freedom (music allows for this) vs repression (controlled by puppets)
  • black (dizzee & other black youths) vs white (white woman & police)