Genre Analysis - Hip Hop/Rap

Hip hop music, also called rap music is a genre that commonly accompanies rapping, its developed as part of hip hop culture, a subculture defined by four elements: MCing, DJing, break dancing and graffiti writing. Other elements of hip hop include samping and beatboxing. 

Hip hop's golden era is given to a period where the genre started to hit mainstream popularity. There was a strong jazz influence in the music and a political influence to the lyrical work. A few artists that are commonly associated with this era are Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, Gang Starr, Big Daddy Kane and De La Soul. The golden age is noted for its innovation "when it seemed that every new single reinvented the genre" according to the Rolling Stone magazine. Gangsta Rap also began to become increasingly noticed in this period of time, influenced by the violent lifestyles of inner-city black youths. This subgenre was mainly influenced by rappers such as Ice T, NWA and Schoolly D, gangsta rap quickly became the most commercially lucrative sub genre of hip-hop 

The 1990's saw a real push towards the mainstream from the genre, artists such as Sugarhill Gang, Run-DMC, MC Hammer, Dr. Dre, Wu Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill and Public Enemy had a huge influence on making the genre more commercially viable. This continued to flourish as underground artists began to gain popularity in the UK, Asia and Africa. For example British hip-hop began to spawn its own artists such as Dizzee Rascal, The Streets and Wiley.

The popularity of hip-hop continued to grow through the 2000's Dr. Dre was still an integral figure as he produced albums such as the Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem and Get Rich or Try Dyin' by 50 Cent which debuted at number one in the US charts. Jay-Z represented a cultural triumph oh hip-hop, he went from being a performing artist to a label president, head of a clothing line, club owner and market consultant - he also managed to break Elvis Presley's record for most number one albums on the Billboard magazine charts by a solo artist. In more recent times artists such as Kanye West, Gnarls Barkley, OutKast, M.I.A, Kid Cudi, J. Cole, Lupe Fiasco, Odd Future and B.o.B have all become successful hip-hop artists to a wider audience. 

Website Analysis 2 - Odd Future

Odd future website analysis from samhaines

Website Analysis 1 - Green Day

Green day powerpoint from samhaines

record label analysis

Polydor Records

Polydor Records is the record label that the song 'Nine 2 Five' by The Ordinary Boys and Lady Sovereign was produced. Polydor originated in Germany and is now owned by the Universal Music Group and is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Here is a link to the official Polydor website: http://www.polydor.co.uk/

In the early 1970s, the main source of income for the label was probably the enormously successful UK band Slade. Later, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the label was also home to The Who and The Jam , and successful British glam rock act Sweet signed on in 1977. 

Polydor remains one of the strongest labels in the country — with artists such as Take That, Girls Aloud, N-Dubz, La Roux, Cheryl Cole, Nicola Roberts, Duffy, Klaxons, Delphic, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, The Saturdays, James Morrison, Kaiser Chiefs, Boyzone, Alphabeat, The Courteeners, S Club 7, S Club 8, Rachel Stevens and Ellie Goulding. Polydor also has a strong indie roster through the Fiction imprint with acts such as Ian Brown, Bright Eyes, Elbow, White Lies, The Maccabees, Kate Nash, Snow Patrol, Filthy Dukes, and Crystal Castles.

It also acts as the UK label for American-based acts such as Eminem, Queens Of The Stone Age, Limp Bizkit, Timbaland, The All-American Rejects, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Black Eyed Peas, Weezer, Marilyn Manson, Pussycat Dolls, Janet Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Busta Rhymes, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Sheryl Crow, Dr. Dre, Lana Del Rey and Lady Gaga. 

In Spring 2006, Polydor launched Fascination Records, a music label dedicated to pop music. Both Girls Aloud and Sophie Ellis-Bextor transferred to the new label and created groups such as The Saturdays and Girls Can't Catch . Several teen pop acts from US label Hollywood Records, such as the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez & the Scene were also signed to Fascination.

Music Video Analysis 3 - The View From The Afternoon

Arctic Monkeys - The View From The Afternoon

This music video for the song 'The View From The Afternoon' by Arctic Monkeys is based in one location throughout, a deserted council estate with the only common feature throughout is a drummer situated in the middle of this deserted council estate. Firstly the opening shot is a long shot of a man walking through a deserted scene establishing the themes that will continue throughout the music video as a whole, the black and white colours used also add to the sense of emptiness. The first recognition of the drummer in the video also perhaps establishes what genre of music the song is in, as the drum kit and the way the man playing the drums looks has a relevance to rock music, which is ofcourse the genre that Arctic Monkeys are a part of. 

There is also the use of a black and white cut-away a few times, I interpret this to be showing the drummer zoning out before he prepares to play the drums which would make sense as he is playing the drums non-stop for such a long period of time. Most importantly for this music video the drummer hitting the kit is in time with the music, there are several long shots of the drummer and his kit emphasising a sense of isolation. The switch between night and day time makes it clear that he is playing the drums for a long period of time and that he is very dedicated, perhaps reflecting the bands ideology towards their music. In this music video they show the drummer from several different angles (e.g close up, long shot, from behind, overhead) and they also use lots of different shots to establish the council estate location (long shots of buildings, close ups of signs + people on their balconies). 

The shot of the three men tormenting and throwing things at the drummer adds comedic value and also shows how focused the drummer is, also as if he is addicted to playing the drums and nothing can distract him. The music video ends on an uncertain ending leaving the viewer wanting to know what happens next.

Music Video Analysis 2 - 212

212 - Azealia Banks

The music video for the song '212' by Azealia Banks is based in one main location, against a brick wall. The main focus of the whole music video is Azealia Banks as a musician and an icon for modern-day hip/hop music. A close up of Azealia Banks mouth is used repeatedly throughout the video, this emphasises the importance of lyrics in rap music and also points out the fast pace she is rapping at it in points of the song. A effect used in the music video I like is how the video becomes blurs when the music does too, linking the on-screen action to the song itself.

The mid-shots of Azealia Banks on her own and the general movement of her during this replicates the attitude of her as an artist and matches the tone of the song. The two male actors in the music video only have very small and insignificant roles in comparison to Azealia Banks once again showing her importance as an artist. The fast pace of the cuts at the end of the music video match the pace of the music giving a good flow and tempo to the on screen action. The limited use of locations adds simplicity and focus on the artist.

Band Identity

The Ordinary Boys

The Ordinary Boys are an English indie rock band from Worthing, in West Sussex, England. Originally named Next in Line, they were influenced by mod revival and Britpop music, as well as the bands Madness, The Specials, The Kinks and The Smiths. Their name derives from a Morrissey song, "The Ordinary Boys". The membership of the band that originally split up in 2008 consisted of founding members Samuel Preston (vocals, guitar) – generally known simply by his surname "Preston", William Brown (guitar), James Gregory (bass) plus Simon Goldring (drums) 


Following limited success on the UK charts, their popularity revived and grew particularly due to media coverage that Preston, received when participating in Channel 4's Celebrity Big Brother UK in January 2006, where he also met Chantelle Houghton, who he subsequently married and then divorced. Following the Celebrity Big Brother appearance, sales of the band's albums increased and the "Boys Will Be Boys" single moved from No. 33 to No. 3 in four weeks. The song "Boys Will Be Boys" featured in the fifth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. 

An infamous media incident occurred when Preston appeared on an episode of BBC's comedy music quiz show 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks' broadcast on 14.2.2007 and he terminated his participation in the show by leaving the set during recording when the host Simon Amstell persistently read extracts from his wife Chantelle's at that time recently published autobiography. Preston later stated regret for his actions, speaking of Amstell as "funny, charming and likeable", making his walking off "all the more embarrassing". The band were referenced in episode five ("Smoke and Mirrors") of series two of The IT Crowd.

Lady Sovereign 

 Louise Amanda Harman (born 19 December 1985), better known by the stage name Lady Sovereign, is an English rapper and grime artist.She is noted for her professional success in performing styles of music generally dominated by males. In 2010, she appeared on the seventh series of the reality show Celebrity Big Brother, being the third housemate to be evicted from the house.

Lady Sovereign began uploading some of her songs and a picture to various music web sites when she was 15. She told Newsweek in 2006 that comments initially ran along the lines of, "You're white. You're a girl. You're British. You're crap.". She went on to sign with Universal in 2004. Lady Sovereign released a number of solo records and opened for Basement Jaxx, The Streets, Dizzee Rascal, D12, and Obie Trice.

Aside from her own records, 2005 saw Lady Sovereign appear as a guest or contributor on several projects. She began 2005 by appearing on the grime compilation Run the Road, both as a solo artist and with The Streets. When The Ordinary Boys released the single "Boys Will Be Boys", Lady Sovereign came back with a reply remix, featuring the music and chorus of the original, but with mostly her own vocals to the tune of "girls will be girls". In May 2006, she was featured on the Ordinary Boys single, "Nine2Five", a remixed version of her own "9 to 5", credited as "The Ordinary Boys vs Lady Sovereign." "Nine2Five" entered at 39th in the UK top 40 singles on downloads only, and jumped to 6th upon availability as a CD and 7" vinyl single during the week commencing 22 May 2005. This is her highest chart position to date. On 17 October 2006 "Love Me or Hate Me" became the first video by a British artist to reach number 1 on the United States version of MTV's Total Request Live. "Love Me Or Hate Me" was released in the UK on 29 January 2007, with the album following on 5 February 2007.

In late 2006, "Love Me Or Hate Me" was played in a Verizon Wireless advertisement. It also appears on the soundtrack of the video game Need for Speed: Carbon, and is the theme music for the show The Bad Girls Club. "9 to 5" also appears on The Bad Girls Club, as well as on the soundtrack of the Xbox 360's version of EA Sports' FIFA World Cup 2006 video game, on the Ugly Betty soundtrack and features in the 2007 film St. Trinian's, "Random" appears on the Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix soundtrack, and features on an episode of Malcolm in The Middle, "I Got You Dancing" was featured in Need for Speed: Nitro, "Hoodie" was used for a Mario Party Nintendo DS commercial.


Some of Lady Sovereign's such as "9 to 5" and "So Human" were also used on the BBC 1 show Waterloo Road in 2009/10. Bizarre Creation's Project Gotham Racing 4 video game on the Xbox 360 features the song "Blah Blah" by Lady Sovereign, EA's Fight Night Round 4 video game features Lady Sovereign's "Bang Bang" track, "So Human" appears in season 2 episode 1 of the television series '90210', "Jigsaw" was featured in the second episode of the fifth season of MTV-show The Hills, called 'Everything Happens For A Reason'.

Digipak Analysis 2 - Favourite Worst Nightmare by Arctic Monkeys

'Favourite Worst Nightmare' was released by the band Arctic Monkeys in 2007


Front Cover:

The front cover of this album shows both the band name and album title, unlike my previous example digipak. The font used for the words 'Arctic Monkeys' was commonly used throughout all band promo during the period after this album was released. The album cover shows a row of run down houses but one with lit up patterns inside, perhaps emphasising the mood and tone of the bands music as the bold colours stand out against the bleak and dark image used.

Inside of digipak:

The inside of the digipak shows the inside of the rooms shown as lit up on the front cover of the album , this once again shows a theme throughout the whole of the album artwork design. This design used is very unique and I have not seen this idea used by any other artist

Back:

The back of the digipak is very clear and plain and states the song titles and label that the band is under, the same font is used throughout the whole of the digipak.

Digipak Analysis 1 - A Flash Flood of Colour by Enter Shikari

This album 'A Flash Flood of Colour' by Enter Shikari was released in January 2012:


Front Cover:

This triangle is a key symbol in many of the bands music videos and merchandise making a common theme for many people to follow the band by. The logo is supposed to symbolise turning the society triangle we live in on its head, linking this logo to many of the bands lyrics and song titles. The way the cover photo is shot makes the triangle the key factor in the image, the red triangle could also link to the album title itself.

Inside of digipak: 

The inside of the digipak once again shows the symbolic triangle that the band would build their image around in an open space, similar to the front cover of the digipak, the band are most often specified as being in the metal genre so this inside of the digipak contradicts the stereotypical dark and gloomy metal image as the colours used are very bright.

Back:

The back of the digipak lists the song titles (and DVD's bonus feature), it once again continues the nature theme used throughout the rest of the digipak in a similar location to the one used on the front cover image. The two band labels are also specified on the bottom left corner. The spine of the CD also clearly indicates the band name and album title 

Music video director #2

Marc Webb

Most of Marc Webb's work is in the field of rock music, making videos for bands such as Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Incubus, Weezer, AFI and Evanescance. On the other hand he has done work for rappers such as Trey Songz and P. Diddy, showing his adapdability in his style of music video. The one common theme I found in all the videos of his i've watched is the clean fast paced cutting and the use of lighting to create mood, this is shown in the following music videos:

21 Guns - Green Day

Miss Murder - AFI

Make A Move - Incubus

Music Video Analysis 1 - Ni**as in Paris

N****s in Paris - Jay-Z and Kanye West

'N****s in Paris' released by Jay Z and Kanye West in 2011 is an influental music video for me due to the use of editing and link between the music and live show/band performance.

Firstly the artists 'Kanye' and 'Jay' are introduced at the start of the music video in bold point emphasising their importance straight from the beginning of the video, furthermore the song title 'Paris' is also shown. This is an odd feature for a music video and may have been used to created a sense of an epic build up to the on screen action, this follows on to the use of live footage constrasting between on stage footage and crowd footage showing the connection and link between artist and audience. The use of heavy strobes throughout the music video emphasises a sense of their live show and also reflects the fast pace of the music, this is also suiting to the double screen zooming effect used throughout the whole music video, which gives the video a specific theme which is not common is any other music video I have seen.

The fast pace of both the music, strobing and double screen effect is then elaborated on the movement and dancing in the crowd emphasising a connection between the music and the crowd, whilst this connection between crowd and artist is used often there are quite often close ups of both Kanye West and Jay-Z using the double screen to show their importance to the crowd. The cutaway to the quote by Will Ferrell links the video the song lyrics and also slows down the tempo for the only time in the whole music video. It also adds a sense of humour to a video which is otherwise a serious performance based video. Finally, the link between 'Paris' and the music video is elaborated on with the use of different landmarks, for example the Arc De Triomphe is used with the use of never ending walls. I believe the purpose of this music video is not only to promote to song but to also promote Jay Z and Kanye West's live show perhaps appealing to a younger audience as the music does aswell.

Music Video Director #1

Wolf Haley

The alter-ego of famous American rapper 'Tyler, The Creator' (member of Odd Future), 'Wolf Haley' created two of my favourite music videos of 2011. These music videos are for the songs 'Yonkers' and 'She ft. Frank Ocean'. The tone and mood of the music videos often fit the humourous, absurd and aggressive lyrical works in Odd Futures songs. Many reviewers saw Wolf Haley's work as raw, straight forward and contreversial making it popular with both the general public and the music industry. The popularity of Tyler, The Creator rocketed in the year of 2011 and it may have had something to do with the edginess and different styles of his music, but also to do with the out of the ordinary music videos created by his alter ego to help bolster and improve his image across the globe. 'Wolf Haley' also created another music video to the song 'Sam is Dead' this year which follows the same trends and themes as his previous work

'Yonkers' by Tyler, The Creator

'She' (Feat. Frank Ocean) by Tyler, The Creator

Sam Is Dead by Tyler, The Creator and Domo Genesis

Intertextuality

Example 1: Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers

This music video uses intertextuality throughout, with a theme of using a red hot chili peppers based video game

Firstly, the lyrics in the music video match the on screen action in the video game. An example of this in the song is:

Marry me girl be my fairy to the world
Be my very own constellation
A teenage bride with a baby inside
Getting high on information
And buy me a star on the boulevard
It's Californication

During this scene of the music video the main character in the video game comes across a pregnant woman, synchronising the lyrics in the song with the narrative in the music video. Another example of this in the music video is:

Space may be the final frontier
But it's made in a Hollywood basement
Cobain can you hear the spheres
Singing songs off station to station
And Alderaan's not far away
It's Californication

During this part of the music video the main character in the music video walks into an outerspace scene, matching the location created in the song with the onscreen action in the video.

By using a video game theme in this music video, red hot chili peppers may have seperated themselves from other bands in the rock scene. Also by using a unusual style of intertextuality in the music video it may make the song and video more memorable, bringing in a larger audience and eventually enhancing the bands success. This video also held very high tech graphics and visuals for the time of the release, the album entitled 'Californication' was released on June 8th 1999, graphical capabilites have improved durastically in the past 13 years so for a music video to hold such a strong graphic link is impressive for the time it was created.

The music video also contains band performance scenes aswell making the audience more familiar with the band itself. They have also used the bands members to construct the characters in the game which is also another good aspect of this music video as it allows the audience to be able to relate with the members of the band more. All the band scenes cut from a member of the band to the video game aspect of the music video, this shows advanced levels of editing. 

Example 2: Arguing with Thermometers - Enter Shikari

This music video uses intertexuality by creating a news and weather report, the news reporter stays inside the studio for parts of the video and also goes out onto the street and gets involved with some band scenes.

This music video plays more with the idea of humour than my previous example of intertextuality 'californication'. For example at points in the lyrics where the singer is screaming the lyrics, the news reporter will mime this adding a sense of unseriousness and easy nature to a video, even though the lyrics in the song emphasise key problems in the world such as climate change. This video helps show that despite the seriousness of Enter Shikari's lyrics they are still willing to add a humourous theme to their music videos.

The images on the screen in the background match the lyrics that the lead singer of the band is emphasising such as melting ice caps, the song fits the news report theme well as some of the topics and subjects bought up in the lyrics of the song are common news stories. The drummer who is reporting the news shows the weather with his drum sticks once again emphasising a sense of humour.

The video also uses news reports out on the streets with a handheld camera adding a sense of realism to the onscreen action, as it could be perceived as a real news report. An interesting and out of the ordinary music video may also improve the bands popularity.

Goodwin's Theory

Goodwin's theory covers the following ideas:

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band).

2 . There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).

3. There is a relationship between Mahdi as visuals (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).

4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).

5. There is frequently reference to the notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc.) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

6. There is often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos, etc.)

Example Music Video: Kill The DJ - Green Day



This music video displays some ideas of Goodwins theory, for example:

• Lots of shots of stage performance from a rock band showing them playing their instruments (expertees in their genre of music)
• The members of Green Day are well known in the rock scene on a global scale, so it could be seen as necessary for them to be the focal point of the music video to please fans of the band etc.
• Some of the lyrics in the music video completley contradict the on screen action, for example at the beginning the lyrics read:

Walking after dark
In the New York City park
Your thoughts are so unholy
In the holiest of old
Onward Christian soldiers
Filled with jivin' mind control

• These lyrics have no reference to the on screen action at the time, as they are on motorbikes in a desert.
• On the other hand, some of the lyrics in the song match the on screen action at the time, for example:

The blood left on the dance floor
Runnin', runnin' red

• These lyrics are relevant to the on screen action at the time as the faces of some of the people of the dancefloor begin to bleed, sychronising the action in the music video with the lyrics of the song.
• The demand of the record label for lots of close ups of the members of Green Day is definantly shown in this music video, especially towards the lead singer and guitarist of the band Billie Joe Armstrong. There are constant close ups of him during the guitar solo part of the video. The other two members of the band are also shown through close ups but not as frequently.
• The pyschadellic feel of the song is put across in the music video with the use of strobing, showing a link between the song and the visuals.

Voyeurism

Voyeurism is a perversion in which a person receives gratification from seeing body parts of others or witnessing others’ sexual behaviour
Voyeurism is the act of watching someone who is performing sexual behaviours such as dancing, undressing or intercourse in order to gain pleasure. The person being watched is often unaware of their audience and in the terms of music videos it is usually a men’s controlling gaze towards women that have been sexually objectified.

Goodwin states that female performers are sexually objectified by camera work and editing with fragmented body shots emphasising a sexualised treatment of the performer.

Voyeurism is often used to help sell a product and create audience interest; there are many apparent uses of voyeurism in many music videos, such as my following example.

Case Study: Toxic - Britney Spears

How voyeurism is shown in this music video:

The main star in this music video is obviously Britney Spears, as he appears in nearly every single frame of the music, despite her music appealing to a mainly female audience, this video is directly aimed at the male market. This is expressed by her wearing revealing clothing and seducing several different men within the duration of the music video, the fact that the men used in the music video are vastly different in looks will entice all kinds of men to the music video. Britney Spears also wears 3 different hair colours in the music video (red, blonde, black) this could have also been done to appeal to a wide audience of men with different preferences. The repetitional usage of the blank white background whilst Britney Spears is singing gives full focus to the main star of the music video, the fact that there are no distractions may also make the male viewer feel like they are in the same place as Britney Spears.

Britney Spears could be perceived as a sex object in this music video, but certain aspects of the music video contradict this idea, for example the low angle camera shots used throughout the video show that she is in power, whilst these types of camera angles are obviously appealing to a male audience they also express Britney Spears being in control. This is also shown at the beginning of the video whilst Britney Spears is being an air hostess, the fact that she is standing up and several men she is serving are sitting down creates different levels in the music video, Britney Spears is looking down on the men showing she is a powerful and strong character, this music video emphasises a stereotype of a dominating female figure. Editing in the music video gives Britney Spears near inhuman superpowers, such as the ability to fly, this once again shows she is a strong character and she obtains abilities beyond an ordinary human being.


Synopsis of 'Toxic' by Britney Spears

Toxic" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her fourth album, In the Zone. It was released on January 12, 2004, by Jive Records as the second single from the album

The music video begins with an open shot of an airplane flying surrounded by many doves, referencing the works of Hong Kong director John Woo. Spears appears with blond hair dressed as a flight attendant, receiving a phone call. After serving some of the passengers, she leads a bald overweight man to the bathroom and seduces him. She takes off the man's mask to reveal an attractive man (Matthew Felker) and steals a black pass from his pocket. Spears is then dropped into the back of a Ducati 999, driven by a shirtless male (Tyson Beckford) in a futuristic Paris, that was compared to the 1982 film Blade Runner. She wears a tight black cat suit and sports red hair, inspired by the character of Sydney Bristow from television series Alias. They pass a woman and lift up her dress, a homage to the iconic Marilyn Monroe scene in the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch. They also pass two women frolicking in a store window.

 Throughout the video, there are scenes of Spears naked covered in diamonds. The look was compared to that of Kate Bush in the music video for her 1978 single, "The Man with the Child in His Eyes". Britney Spears then enters Toxic Industries, and gains access to a vault from which she steals a vial of green poison. She accidentally triggers a laser trap when she leaves that she evades with elaborate dance moves, including a back handspring. This is followed by scenes of Spears wearing a black super heroine outfit and black hair. She scales a building and enters an apartment, where her unfaithful boyfriend (Henderson) is waiting. She kisses him just before pouring the poison into his mouth, killing him. Britney Spears kisses him again and jumps out of the window. She lands back on the plane sporting her flight attendant outfit, and winks at the camera. The video closes with a shot of the airplane flying surrounded by doves like the beginning