Brent Faiyaz: Wasteland

Daniel Chandler (Chandler, 2022:2) states that semiotics is concerned with how meanings are made and how reality, in this case the culture or subcultures are represented (or constructed) through signs, sign systems and the processes of signification. A number of discourses influence the way we perceive popular music. The meaning of any piece of music comes from the discourses we have for understanding them using various aspects such as lyrics, visuals or musical sounds associated with them, that in turn help us understand the artist’s identity or the message they wish to portray. In this essay I will be critically analyzing popular R&B and Soul artist, Brent Fiayaz, and his recent album “Wasteland”, released in 2022 with a mix of slow and upbeat tracks and songs that explore love, heartbreak, and self-discovery, to understand how semiotic resources and patterns available for communication in the sounds, images and cultures of popular music allow us to analyze it’s meaning. Faiyaz’s songs are often considered to be ‘toxic’, a trait he often denies, however the story connected to “Wasteland” portrays a rather toxic journey between a famous artist and the struggles he faces from wanting love, to having a lifestyle that actively discourages it, which can be seen from titles such as “Price of Fame”, “Wake Up Call”, “Heal Your Heart”. Paul Du Gay (1997:3) states that if it is to be adequately studied, any analysis of a cultural text or artefact must pass the circuit of culture and by taking it through the five different articulations or cultural processes it will allow us to gain a deeper understanding of the text and give it meaning, which will further add to the argument I wish to promote.

Lyrics play a vital role in music because it is how an artist connects with their audience. They convey a story, evoke emotions in the listener allowing the artist to not only express themselves but also communicate their identity to them. David Machin introduces the concept of “activity schema” that he states implies “what happens in the song at the simplest level” (2010:73) permitting the reduction of lyrics down to the core of what they are about. However, with closer analysis of the underlying schema, it aids in understanding the differences in values, behaviors, and identities. Additionally, Carey (1969) suggests that song lyrics can give us access to the psyche of the time or culture of when they were produced. On applying this theory to “Wasteland”, in the song “All Mine”, Faiyaz says:

“You’ll come around if I don’t do too much

We’ve had downs but we had way more ups

Let’s make love

That be the reason that you always hit me up”

The schema for this would be:

Boy wants girl

Girl is with another

Boy reminisces memories with girl

This song is about a boy reminding a girl of the memories they’ve had together, in order to win her back. We know she is unavailable through the use of the lyric “you told me your new man.” However, we also understand that she may not have been loyal to him, as he implies that she “always hits him up”. Throughout the song, the boy accepts his mistakes and promises he will be better, “I know I’ve been the worst, but I’ll love you better”, stating that she is his through the line “it’s only you for me” and the continual usage of “all mine”. Expressed in this song is the power shift between the girl and boy, where on one occasion he implies that the only reason she speaks to him is to fulfill her sexual desires but on the other he states that she always comes around while boasting about their intimate moments with each other, confusing the audience as to who holds the power in this relationship. Nevertheless, there is a yearning to be with her whereas, in his song “Rolling Stone” he states:

“I’m a rolling stone,

I’m too wild for you to own,

In a whip that’s meant to speed,

If I hurt you, would you leave?”

The schema for this would be:

Boy disrespects girl

Boy apologizes

Boy gaslights girl

This song has been classified as an apologetic ballad (Apple Music) where the boy apologizes in advance for letting the girl down, he considers himself to be too wild and someone that cannot be bound by a relationship. He does not seem to want anything serious, and wants to have fun, however, remains apologetic throughout blaming his mentality on the “demons from my (his) younger days”, or the fans that watch him. In this case, the narrator almost gaslights the girl by addressing her in different ways, asking her to “back the f*** up” but negating the way she should feel as he has been remorseful for his actions. The use of the words “first I’m exciting, then I’m gaslighting, make up your mind”, or “I guess I’m everything and nothing at the same time”, add to the argument that the continuous back and forth, not only play with the girls sentiments but leaves the audience confused not knowing where to point the blame.

Through the inventory presented by Van Leeuwen (1996) we can convey that the unnamed significant other is impersonalized as there is no named individual, however it is individualized where we have been given intimate details between both the parties involved. Due to being unnamed, we can link it to nominalization as it allows the audience to associate themselves with the lyrics, creating a personalizing effect. In regards to functionalization, by using words such as “rich”, “fans”,” glitz and glam”, “the fame”, the participant has been represented in terms of their role. Faiyaz gives his character power by referring to the significant other in various terms such as “bi**h”, “my girl”,” babe”, reducing her to generic role types by objectivating her. While there is anonymity by not mentioning her name, the album consists of 3 skits, that play out between the character “Chris” and a woman who is carrying his baby, which many have linked to him being transparent about his journey of self-reflection and as Mateo Braxton (2022) puts it “the culmination of Faiyaz’s vices as he finds clarity amid the “Wake-up Call” that’s coming for him”, for the mother of his child.

Any form of music can only be legitimately understood and evaluated on its own aesthetic and features. To begin a visual analysis of the album, we investigate how the image can denote and connote, ideas and concepts through the semiotic theory of Roland Barthes (1973). The figure below is the album cover, portraying 3 different images of Brent that may aid in communicating his identity. It can be perceived that in none of these images does Faiyaz look towards the audience, his gaze often shifts away from the frame, inviting us to imagine what he is thinking about, creating meaning from the setting, the poses rather than the attitude alone (Machin, 2010: 40). Faiyaz shows his back to the audience in all 3 images that could come off as him being closed off rather than approachable, by folding his arms in the second portrait his posture adds more to its intensity. These images can be seen as a way to portray Fiayaz’s journey through his album and self-discovery, where he begins in a dark headspace (dark background, dark clothes) referring to his opening track “Villain’s theme” that talks about people labelling him as toxic, and the villain he has become due to his rise in fame. The portrait in the middle consists of a slightly lighter background and bright clothing, possibly portraying the reflection process, he realizes that fame is not everything as he suggests in the track “Price of Fame”, contemplating over his innermost thoughts. It is during the “Skit: Wake Up Call” that his baby’s mother has had enough of not being treated well by him and she decides to commit suicide, however, towards the end of the skit, he meets with an accident. The final track being “Angel”, portrays the third portrait with the white background, signifying the end of his journey pondering over the worst parts of himself, however he is wearing a black outfit to possibly interpret the funeral attire for his significant other. His gaze is facing towards the clouds, as he calls her “an angel in disguise” asking her to not leave his side. The social distance is another iconographical element that influences the intimacy we feel with the artist. A close-up shot would encourage us to feel closer to the artist, while a long shot would seem more alienated (Machin 2010: 41). In the image below, the medium shot portrayed can translate to not feeling an intimate connection with Faiyaz. In relation to objects we can consider the clothing, an example being the second portrait where the white jacket looks similar to those worn at an institution suggesting the deteriorating health of the artist. To give salience, the background is muted so the focus is entirely on the artist and the text presented. We can further understand the aesthetics of this album, by decoding his music videos where he uses a variety of paradigms to portray his life. Paradigms are determined by the criteria of the context combining to form a syntagm (Thwaites, 2018), the context in this scenario being a celebrity’s lifestyle, from being overwhelmed by the paparazzi, money on the floor depicting an excess of it, the message on the television portraying the state of his mental health, all contributing to creating the image of the “Wasteland” he finds himself stuck in. The color palette itself promotes the idea of dark themes being explored, similar to the Willie Nelson sleeve discussed by Machin (2010:58) where it connotes the idea of more somber moods and is associated with deeper and darker thoughts. The monochrome palette relating to the concept of differentiation and a lack of diversity in color add to the depiction of a lack of energy or the drained state of his mental health as well. The difference in the font color can be seen as a way to draw attention to the name he has given his thoughts, it being “Wasteland”. 

David Machin argues that Van Leeuwen has attempted to characterize the way that sounds came to have meaning but placing it into 2 categories: ‘provenance’ which implies the meaning of sound through cultural accumulation of associations and ‘experiential’ which suggests the association of meaning with things in the real world (Machin, 2013: 6-7). The “Wasteland” album comes under the R&B and soul genre. Gia Peppers (Nexis, 2023 (b)) states that both these genres were the first place where black people could feel seen and heard and connect with the world, with songs often surrounding love, whether it was losing it, professing it or more. It is the atmosphere that surrounds this album that gives it shape. Braxton (2022) describes this album by mentioning “mellow”, “cinematic”, “string-infused soundscape”, with a “fairly minimalistic melody”. Machin suggests that low pitches can be used to mean relaxation which is a recurring theme in his album, as opposed to the agitation or feelings of excitement that come with a higher pitch (2013:10). Cooke (1959) claims that a shift from a low to high pitch can be associated with an increase in energy whereas, the shift from high to low can convey the opposite. Van Leeuwen (2012) further adds that a descending pitch can imply a decrease in vocal effect and allows the artist to be more “passive” and “inward-looking”. In “Wasteland”, Faiyaz uses a minimalistic and mellow melody to present a softness, while his words are louder in comparison to add weight and importance to them, as he discusses and reflects on his deepest thoughts and emotions. An example to depict the change in pitch and louder sound for emphasis on the words can be seen through the Queens, “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “We Will Rock You” where, as Machin (2013:14) argues the loudness of the beat plays an essential role in conveying the power and confidence in the track.

In conclusion, by implementing semiotic resources and patterns available, this essay has analyzed the meaning of music using various segments ranging from lyrical and visual representations, and musical sounds, surrounding Brent Faiyaz and the “Wasteland” album by additionally incorporating theories from the articulations presented in the circuit of culture, such as identity, representation, etc. Through the application of theoretical ideologies to his album, we can connote the meaning he wishes to portray, creating a cinematical experience as well as a musical journey for his audience, where he ponders over his intimate thoughts and emphasizes on bigger issues that surround fame, his past traumas, financial gain, unfaithfulness towards partners and more. It can therefore also be concluded that musicians have a respectable understanding of how to employ semiotic resources in certain social contexts and are adept users of these methods. Each form of analysis can be taken further in order to provide a deeper and more critical study, nonetheless, I believe I have conducted a complete analysis and explored how these articulations provide meaning to music and understand why analysists use this method for the same.

Bibliography

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