1. Clothing used by Hip-Hop artists is generally basketball
shirts. This is to imply that they have strength or power
as well it shows their sporting prowess.
Objects nearly always relate to their lyrics. This is one of
Andrew Goodwin's Key Features of a music video. This is
because otherwise it is considered irrelevant and has no
part in the music video as every shot needs to have a
purpose.
People in a Hip-Hop music video typically bounce or
dance to the beat of the song to show how they are
enjoying, which gets the artist recognition.
There are many close ups used in Hip-Hop music videos to
establish the artist and make the audience aware of them
so they know who they are , therefore becoming popular.
Most Hip-Hop artists use the same theme throughout
their songs and music videos for example mental health,
use of drugs and a bad upbringing.
It is normal for Hip-Hop artists to promote other Hip-Hop
artists as they all help each other to get started in the
industry. Take Eminem for example, Dr Dre helped him
with his career and therefore Eminem includes him in a
lot of his music videos to promote him. This gets Dr Dre
Eminem’s fans and Eminem gets Dr Dre’s fans.
Wealth is a key aspect of most Hip-Hop music videos. We
see the use of mise - en - scene throughout the music
video. For example; money, cars, big gold chains,
mansions, drugs and jewellery. This is portraying that the
only thing Hip-Hop artists worry about is wealth.
In Hip-Hop music videos women are portrayed as objects
of men and are disposable as if they are nothing and men
can get whoever they want because they are “desirable”.
Suburban America is usually used in Hip-Hop
music videos but it is in a mono tone shot
(black and white) to signify that it is old
fashioned and outdated.
Narrative is used in nearly every single Hip-Hop
music video as it makes a music video relevant
to the song again, one of Andrew Goodwin’s Key
Features of a music video.
Intertextuality is used by artists that are
relatively unknown so they use a popular artist
who is already well known and therefore
attracts some form of attention for them.
The main audience for Hip-Hop music videos
are teenagers mainly male. This is because it
has appealing women in the video and the
lifestyle most men want to have.
Hip – Hop
Genre Characteristics
The message throughout most Hip-Hop music
videos are to have the party life non stop, to
either get high or drunk and having lots of sex.
In some music videos such as ‘In Da Club’ by 50
Cent, we see him watching himself. This is to
show that there is no privacy in society. I
interpret this as the paparazzi for celebrities,
never being able to do anything without them
catching you and publishing it making a
mockery of celebrities.
The physicality is known in most Hip-Hop
especially if it is a male artist . If you do not see
their physicality you will see a man especially
doing a workout still to portray that they are
strong but may not be confident in showing
their body off.
TV is also used by Hip-Hop artists. This is to communicate to their
audience that they have made it in society because there are shown
on TV. As well they are now considered as a ‘star’ or an actual
‘celebrity’ .
Men are the main focus of every Hip-Hop music video. This is
because we are in a very patriarchal society were men are seen as
strong and successful and women should be lucky to be around such
people. This is reinforced in our media.
Close up shots are used in music videos to give the artist status. This
will show the audience that the artist is important and are
influential.
Low angle shots are used to give the artist authority, control and
influence on their audience as it is seen that they are looking down
on their audience as if they are better then them because of their
wealth and fame.
Hip-Hop is a mix of jazz, blues and gospel music. It mainly comes
from a black dominated industry bu7t is now evolving into white
rap artists and white artists in general. It was mainly done by black
people as it was considered they were the ones who struggles the
most.
A loud bass and fast tempo is usually used to try and keep the jazz
effect .
As well smooth drum or guitar which also includes bass but not as
much because the artist is mainly talking about a prior
relationship, or one they are in at the moment, their mental
stability and their use of drugs as a coping mechanism.
The clothing is also very different for woman and men. Men tend to
wear baggy trousers with lots of jewellery showing they have
money and gold or diamond teeth also known as ‘grills’. Whereas
women wear nothing but lingerie in music videos and magazines
covers.
Hip-Hop artists mainly men want to be seen hard so they would
commonly use their home town, which may be somewhere which
may be a poorer area also known as ‘ghetto’. This is to show the
struggle they have had and how they now deserve their fame
because they had to build them self up from nothing and how they
must have talent because they didn’t have wealth to buy them into
the fame of society.
They use hats especially fishermen hats as a
fashion statement. As well they set a bad label
on how Hip-Hop is perceived through using
drugs when not all Hip-Hop is like that.
Most Hip-Hop music videos have a political message
about how society is controlling us and that we need to
rebel.
The typical convention of a Hip-Hop music video is
violence which portrays Hip-Hop negatively this message
is rivalled with other artists further.
2. Dr Dre …
Dr Dre was born on
February 18th, 1965, in
Compton (California).
He started DJ’ing at an early age,
entertaining his mothers friends
when they’d come over.
He went on DJ’ing at
a night club called
‘Eve After Dark’.
The club has a studio where Dre
started to make beats, he was
inspired by such people like
George Clinton and Zapp and
Roger.
Then, Cube went on to write songs with Dre for
Ruthless Records, a label which was started by
Eric Wright also known as ‘Easy-E’.
Easy-E wanted to start
his own group and name
it N.W.A.
Ice Cube’s departure left money
management and creativity differences.
When he departed N.W.A they did not have
the same impact on the fans and the some
what edge. After they quit making records
in 1991, Cube and N.W.A starting dissing
each other.
Dre’s younger brother,
Tyree was unfortunately
killed in confrontation
outside a shop.
Death Row Records
formed in 1991. The
company made 120
million dollars over four
years. It’s first major hit
was ‘Deep Cover’
featuring Dr Dre and
Snoop Doggy Dog who
at that time was
unknown to the public.
In 1995 Easy – E passes away
from aids which led Dre and Cube
feeling bad as they never got to
sort out their conflict with him.
Dr Dre decides to leave Death
Row and become independent,
which led to his album
‘Aftermath’. He then goes on to
marry Nicole and they have two
children together.
While he was listening to a
tapes with Interscope CEO
Jimmy Iovine he found a
tape by Eminem.
After signing Eminem, Dr Dre, Snoop
Doggy Dog, Ice Cube, Warren G, Nate
Dogg, Kurupt and his new found rapper
Eminem get ready for a rap tour during
the summer of 2000. This tour was a
massive success making around 24
million dollars.
Dre went on to sign Busta
Rhymes, Eve, and his
Compton based rapper ‘The
Game’.
Album’s – Dre …
1988 – Straight Outta Compton
1992 – The Chronic
1994 – Concrete Roots
1994 – Back up Off Me
1996 – Back ‘n the day
1996 – First Round Knock Out
1996 – Dr Dre Presents The
Aftermath
1997 – Dr Dre : Greatest Hits
1999 – 2001
1999 – 2001 Instrumental
Album’s …
2000 – Dr Dre 2002
2001 – Training Day
2001 – Chronicle : Best Of The Works
2001 - 2002
Album’s - Dre …
2002 – Dr Dre 2003
2002 – Dre’s Drugstore
2003 – Dr Dre & Friends
2004 – The Greatest Hits 2 : The
Next Episode
Album’s - Dre…
2005 – Pretox
2005 – Hittmanic Verses
2005 – Dretox
2005 – From Compton
To Long Beach
Album’s - Dre …
2006 – Chronicles : Death
Row Classics
2006 – Dr Dre VS World Class
Wreckin’ Crew
2009 – Detoxification
2009 – Death Row : The Lost
Sessions Vol . 1
Album’s - Dre …
2015 - Compton
2 PAC …
Tupac Amaru Shakur was born
on the 16th of June 1971 and died
on the 13th of September 1996.
2 Pac was an American
rapper and an actor.
2 Pac sold over 75 million albums
worldwide.
This mas him one of the best selling artist
even after his death this lasted up until
2007.
Nearly all of Tupac's songs have
the theme’s of inner cities, racism,
violence between rappers and
general Hip-Hop problems.
Tupac first started as a back up
dancer for Digital Underground.
Most of Tupac’s music videos has a
clear visual message which is how
much love he has for his mother
and sister. This is due to the fact
that he didn’t have a father in his
upbringing and therefore had a lot
of respect for his mother doing it
all by herself.
Tupac is still considered as the most influential rap artists
of all time.
Tupac’s message …
‘It’s all about addressing
the problems that we
face in everyday society’
Such as; police brutality,
poverty, unemployment,
insufficient education,
disunity, violence, crime
and teenage pregnancy.
Tupac influenced artists such as 50
Cent, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Snoop Dogg,
Dr Dre and Ja Rule.
On September 7 1996 Tupac
was fatally shot in Las Vegas,
Nevada. Tupac, was shot five
times, and died from his
injuries six days later on
September 13, 1996. His
murder remains unsolved
He made his first film appearance
in the motion picture ‘Nothing
but Trouble’, as part of a role by
the Digital Underground. Hi first
starring role was in the film
‘Juice’, in this he played a violent
member of the Wrecking Crew.
After Tupac’s death three films
that starred him were released.
They were; Bullet, Gridlock’d and
Gang Related.
Album’s – Tupca …
1991 – 2Pacalypse
1993 – Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.
Album’s - Tupac …
1995 – Me Against The World
1996 – The Don Killuminah : The 7
Day Theory.
1997 – Gridlock’d
1997 – R U Still Down?
1998 – Greatest Hits
1999 – Still I Rise
1999 – The Here After
2000 – The Rose That Grew From
Concrete
Album’s - Tupac …
2000 – Beginnings : The Lost Tapes 1988-1991
2001 – Until The End Of Time
2002 – Better Dayz
2003 – Tupac : Resurrection
2003 – Nu – Mixx Klazzics
Album’s - Tupac …
2003 – The Prophet : The Best Of The Works
2004 – Loyal To The Game
2004 – 2Pac Live
2005 – Ready 2’die
2005 – Live At The House Of Blues
2005 – The Rose Vol.2
2005 – The Prophet Returns
2005 – 2Pac & Friends
2006 – Pac’s Life
2006 – The Passion of Tupac
