1. Textual Analysis – Lowkey ft. Mi and Black the Ripper (Obama Nation P.t 2)
The music video starts with a shot of the music label name; the artist is signed to called, “Global
Faction”. The background of the name is surrounded by grey clouds with a thunder storm sound
connoting that the video will be filled with suspense and tension. These effects are then reflected
upon the music label. The effect goes on for 10 seconds until the shot cuts to LS of a television with a
radio station being played on it. The television looks very old fashioned, which connotes that the
video could be reflecting on the poor countries being attacked by America. The TV can be seen with
volume handles on the side with a channel changer switch too. The floor can be vividly seen and it is
very dirty with white marks on it, which connotes that the setting is old and abandoned like the TV
could be representing the poor countries being discussed in the video.
A radio station is being played on the TV and it’s called Glen Beck which is the person in the radio
station talking about the artist, Lowkey. The people on the radio station play Lowkey’s previous song
called “Terrorist” and start mocking his lyrics by not taking what he is saying seriously .The radio
station keeps blurring out to show the radio station being fast forwarded to show specific parts that
the artist wants to show. Each shot being shown is continued mocking of Lowkey’s previous song.
After 30 seconds of the radio station shots, the camera zooms into the television and the tune starts
with a large sized font coming up on screen saying “Lowkey ft M1 & Black the Ripper” which is the
name of the artists featuring on the video.
The screen then dissolves to different parts of America including the white house, and then it zooms
inside the picture of the white house to show Barack Obama speaking to the camera with a circle of
fire in the background and the words coming up saying “Obama Nation Part 2” which shows it is the
name of the song. The words “Obama Nation” are being repeated in the song up to this point of the
video. Camera then cuts to the TV with American politicians speaking on it and the words coming up
on the TV saying “Limbaugh is a racist” and fire surrounding the television from each side. The words
“Glenn beck is a racist” also appear which is the person in the radio station clip at the beginning of
the video. A big hammer then comes out from the side and smashes through the television which
connotes that Glenn Beck’s mocking and insults of Lowkey is deemed rubbish and unnecessary.
The first rapper artist then comes out in a hologram with his face constantly zooming up on the
camera as he raps. The TV comes back again after 10 seconds into his rapping with his face and body
shown on it. The camera zooms into the TV as he continues rapping and it shows the background is
an alleyway. Different shots are in the TV now showing past and present American politicians who
the rapper is accusing of corruption as he raps. His lyrics are reflecting on these people and their
corrupt ways in the government. The scene in the TV then changes to different shots of injured
children in war. As the hologram of the face of the rapper keeps showing, in the background are
sketching images of victims of war and rockets flying over the hologram of the rapper’s face. A
canted shot of the TV is then seen, with the rapper’s face on it and his continual rapping with money
in the background of the TV screen falling down which connotes that money is the factor in the
corruption of the American government.
The TV then disappears and pictures of soldiers marching on roads, protestors holding up signs on
capitalism and fire surrounding buildings. This is all to show how the result of corruption caused by
the American government had affected certain countries badly and people’s reactions to it. The TV is
then in the middle of these horrific images with Obama’s face playing on it which connotes that he is

2. responsible for all of this madness. The rapper prepares to exit as he finishes his last lyrics and
pictures of Afghanistan are seen after the war and the soldiers shooting at civilians. As he exits there
are again various pictures of war and protestors, with the American flag being burnt. The chorus of
“Obama Nation” and “Glenn Beck is a racist” is repeated as the 2nd rapper enters.
The camera slides from the TV that is playing different images of war and terror to the 2nd rapper
who is known as “Black the Ripper” and he has a brave expression on his face which connotes that
he is determined to spread the meaning of this song across to the listeners. The rapper starts by
saying the word “Obama” and the letters come out of his mouth and put on screen as he says them.
The camera then cuts back to a long shot of the rapper who we can see in full body, wearing black
trousers and a black t-shirt that says “War is over” which connotes that he wants all terror caused by
America to stop and peace restored. He is standing around a circle of fire as he starts to rap too
which connotes that he is powerful and of higher status. The rapper refers to Obama being V.I.P
which connotes that he is mocking his presidential status and as he says this the camera cuts to
small holiday snaps of Obama when he was younger posing in 6 images which connotes that Obama
was deemed as innocent but now growing with evil.
Then the rapper says B.I.C and the camera cuts to a document which reads about oil in different
countries and china’s bank and resources. The rapper then says C.I.A with the letters being displayed
on screen like before as he says them. As the rapper continues to say his lyrics, there are hologram
images of American documents appearing in the background which connotes the corruption of
America being shown to the public after being hidden for years. The camera then zooms quickly into
the rapper’s eye and a small image of him is then seen on his pupil. Camera then cuts back to a close
up of the rapper’s face to show his expressions as he continues to say the lyrics which connotes the
determination he is showing as he expresses himself with the lyrics. There are various images of
remote machines moving down a road, missiles being fired and things blowing up as it fires and the
fire is surrounding the rapper’s face which shows the repercussions of the war going on.
Black the Ripper then raps about Obama sitting in the white house, and as he says it a hologram
picture of the white house appears behind him and then says “Who cares if he’s black?” which
connotes that skin colour doesn’t give an excuse to cause terror or pain on innocent people nor does
it matter if the American president is black or not. He then goes to talk about soldiers in Iraq, with
images of the soldiers in night vision walking in Iraq. He talks about natural resources not being
America’s and that they should give it back, which shows that the rapper is accusing America of
thieving and money is what it comes down to at the end.
He then calls Obama a puppet and compares them to Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, whose
faces come up on each side of the rapper’s face as he calls out their name. This connotes that
Obama is being used as a puppet by the government as do previous politicians and ministers in
America. He then wishes these people to burn in hell, including Michelle Obama (nation) who is the
wife of Barack Obama and the “nation” part is being mentioned due to the name of the song. The
rapper then sticks his middle finger up to the camera to show his reaction to what these politicians
have done wrong in society. Lowkey is now in the background as Black the Ripper exits. The chorus
of “Obama Nation” and “Glenn Beck is a racist” is then repeated until Lowkey makes his official
appearance in the video.

3. The TV begins to play different videos and pictures of war, soldiers attacking, past American
government officials and Obama which connote the evil America has produced over the years. A
pathway then emerges and an entrance opens with Lowkey coming out which connotes that he’s the
leader, the main focus of the video. As he says his lyrics, the camera constantly cuts to the TV that
keeps playing videos of Obama. Lowkey says “Is the threat from Obama, or from Osama?” and as he
says it the word Obama comes up on screen then the letter B gets knocked down to be replaced by S
when Lowkey says Osama which connotes that Lowkey is saying Obama and Osama are same type of
people. There are random shots of Middle Eastern countries on a globe as Lowkey raps with the TV
also playing different videos of Obama. When Lowkey says “predator drones”, the background
shows drones dropping on top of him with the words “Obama Nation” coming up which connotes
Obama constantly terrorising countries with evil weapons. There is a sketch of Obama with the earth
being placed inside his head which connotes that Obama is a world leader and trying to do things
his way.
As the video goes on and Lowkey starts to finish his lyrics, there is the continued image of war and
suffering, with Obama and his family coming up on the TV and then fire surrounding them which
connotes that they are evil. As the camera starts to zoom out of Lowkey, it shows the TV for the last
time with Lowkey in the middle being played and a huge sledge hammer emerges from the side and
smashes into the TV, which connotes the end and the final countdown/finish. For the last 40 seconds
of the video, a clip of Obama is played where he threatens a children television group, called the
Jonas Brothers, with predator drones which reflects on the whole point of the video that explains
the evil within Obama that grows by the day. Following on from this, a clip of the countries Obama
has bombed are then shown.