Cannes Lions 2021 : Creative Salon Is Backing Beats

"You love Black culture ... but do you love me?", the hard-hitting standout film for Beats by Dr Dre, is a showcase of the beauty and hope of the Black community. And it deserves to dominate the awards podium at the 2021 Cannes Lions Festival this week.

Created by Translation LLC last autumn, the two-minute short film was directed by Queen & Slim’s Melina Matsoukas, written by Lena Waithe, and features music by Solange Knowles.

The film doesn't just ask us to imagine a world where we love Black people and respect them as much as we love their music, fashion, entertainment and sports. It compels us to think about popular culture’s relationship with blackness.

It is voiced by Tobe Nwigwe and its stars include Naomi Osaka, Lil Baby, Bubba Wallace, and Janaya Future Khan amongst others.

Nwige is credited alongside 30 other creatives in two slides at the end of the ad. The names of contributors flash by, each of them described simply as “Black Person".

The project is part of a greater brand initiative for Beats focused on highlighting stories from and within the Black community.

Consumers have been demanding that brands take a stand for their participation in society and communities, and Beats definitely made a stand in a most beautiful way that is not just culturally relevant but also a message that lingers long after watching.

And it's a near-perfect piece of film-making craft, beautifully scripted, directed and edited so that every second hits hard.

Creative Salon is hoping this work gets the credit it deserves at this week's Cannes Lions Festival. We need bars this high.

Here are the words to the powerful anthem featured in the campaign:

You Love Me

You Love Me Not

You Love Black Culture

But Do You Love Me?

You Love How I Sound, My Voice

These Beats

This Flow

Not Me Though, Right?

You Love How I Look

My Hair

The Skin

But Me, Nah!

We Don’t Get To Exist

We’e Forced To Survive

We Still Fight

We Still Play While The World Burns

On Fields That Ain’t Even Level

All Men Are Created Equal?

Huh!

That’s My Favourite Part

You Hate Us So Deeply

But You’re Still So Impressed

Why Can’t You See

There’s History In Our Skin

You Built This Country On Our Backs

I’m Him

He’s Me

She

Us

We

Are All Black

Love Me Or Not

We Love Each Other Deeply

We Gonna Beat Us

We’re Gonna Break Bread

We’re Gonna Defy Gravity

You Love My Culture

But Do You Love Me?

What A World That Would Be