ABSTRACT
This chapter examines ways in which larger political machinations, particularly those in the United States, have worked against free expression in music video through censorship. Censorship standards for both lyrical and visual content in music videos are subjective. Most importantly, they change drastically over time, and depend uniquely on the channel. Just as lyrical censorship is subject to conventions of a certain time—what can and cannot be said on the air changes drastically—what can or cannot be broadcast in a music video’s visuals is highly subjective. Childish Gambino’s “This is America” is one of the most overtly political (if cryptic) music videos of the past decade. Its heavily coded symbolism has been the topic of countless interpretations on the web.
