In what ways can people enjoy Rap and Hip Hop?

To further my understanding of Rap and Hip Hop, I decided to research to genre as a whole and why people listen and enjoy it. But when researching any genre in terms of enjoyment, firstly it's important to understand how people can enjoy them. Rick Altman, a noted theorist, studied genre and found that there are 3 main pleasures that are gained from the genre of a media product themselves. 

He found that the 3 main pleasure's we gain from specifc genre's and their music video's are...

Emotional- Which highlight the emotional feeling that someone will feel when watching a music video, this can range from the highest positive to the lowest negative. The amount of emotion put into a music video can show how much they will enjoy and connect

Visceral- Which show a physical reaction where you may not necessarily have a reason why you like it, you are just drawn to it and automatically favour it.

Intellectual- Which show a message in the video which makes the viewer think, or a story in which the viewer has to work something out.

To further my understanding, I used these 3 points and applied them to a music video I have previously looked at.

Like Toy Soldiers - Eminem

The video of Eminem's Like toy soldiers evokes a very strong emotional response, and in some ways evokes an intellectual response as well.

The genre of the music video is Hip hop and Rap. It could be argued that it is more specifically the 'Conscious hip hop' which is a sub genre of hip hop which aims to challenge the societal consensus (issues that are present in their and our day to day lives). The Genre of rap to me, doesn't have a profound effect on me, I appreciate the talent it takes to compose a good rap that flows and also a melodic beat to accompany it, but the songs and to certain extent the culture they promote and are a part of don't relate to me.

Codes and conventions of the genre are very masculine based. For example, the 'gangster' persona is very common in rap music, as a lot of artists came from poor backgrounds and group up with gangs, giving them the idea to rap about things they know, such as being a gangster and being in a gang. I believe the gangster culture is a negative influence on people, as it promotes a lifestyle of violence, power and the objectification of women. Another convention is for the rapper to show off what the have. To show where they hey  come from to where they are now, they'll contrast their poor childhood with material objects such as the most flashiest and expensive jewellery or 'bling', the fastest and modified cars, locations such as big mansions or an expensive boat, or to a simpler extent just money and a lot of it. This attributes to t the artist wanting to show off. Another conventions which links to the 'gangster' persona is to in  music video, the artist will have a lot of their friends in shot. Not exclusively to just males, however it could be there to show dominance as the artist, male or female, is shown as being the leader of a large group.

The Genre is targeting a young audience as they rap about things they'll want to do, for example hang out with friends or party, they install the idea of living the high life and being successful into their heads, giving the listener a motivation to be like them and live affluently.

In a large portion of rap videos, the representation of women unfortunately is negative. Due to a lot of male rappers using females as 'objects of desire' in their videos, women are sexually exploited and are used as accessories to the men to show how aspirational they are. They usually aren't important in terms of the narrative of the video and are not shown as dominant or positive. With the emergence of more female rappers, the representation has been more positive and empowering as they are going against these stereotypes and bringing more equality in the videos. 

With regards to the brief i have picked, that being a music video, there were a lot of music genres to choose from. In my opinion, I understand the most popular genres are Pop music (obviously) Rap music, and dance music. I believe these are popular as they are the most commercially mainstream, TV channels and radio stations will dedicate the most time to these genres as they are also the most marketable to an audience.

Music Video Analysis 1 - Like To Soldiers by Eminem

The genre of music that my group and I have chosen for our practical work is Hip Hop/ Rap. To get an idea of how music videos from this genre are constructed and presented, I have decided to analyse a song from this genre. The song I have chosen to analyse is Like Toy Soldiers by Eminem.

The song tells the story of Eminem trying to calm a violent community of rappers, referencing feuds he's had with others and stating how in the end none of it is worth it, as it results in death. He does this as his childhood best friend ended up being killed because of this, so he uses the song and the accompanying music video to support his message and ideology. Eminem's Ideology is all about giving a positive message to rappers and the communities that rappers or fans of rap genre, particularly C2DE communities a positive message also. Another Ideology is about how violence is not the answer to solving problems you may have. 

Eminem watching his friend Proof on the operation table, covered in blood

When watching the video, I found that one of the most visually stunning parts of the video is when Eminem is standing outside the operating room of a hospital, covered in blood, watching his friend bleed out. Featuring close up's of anguished faces on doctors and Eminem are there to show the fading of hope and to express internal sorrow of each character. This observation is further cemented when his friend dies, a close up of the heart monitor flatlining and Eminem's hands on his head show the start of his emotional shock at losing his friend. The video itself is very emotionally heavy, and in my opinion is a perfect compliment to the song. 

Lyotards narrative theory applies well to most music video's, as the chorus section usually breaks up the song and makes it fragmented. With Like Toy Soldiers, Eminem has a linear story line which flows through the whole song. However, there's still an element of the song being fragmented, as we can see the main story of how he's rapping about the death of his friend, but also he's rapping about gang violence as a whole.

The Mise en Scene is effective in cementing the genre and also the ideology put forward by Eminem. The costume cements the genre, as they're all dressed quite casually but the clothing labels are well known, which is the look a Rapper would go for. Eminem's performance cements his Ideology, as we can see him getting involved in feuds, then we see the death of his friend. This being the catalyst of him changing his ways, his performance clearly shows this. The death of his friend and his reaction to it, thanks to his performance is clearly visible, and we can connect with him due to this, as we can relate and empathise with him. 

The representation of gender is pretty equal in the video. As the video is documenting what was going on in Eminem's life, the focus is going to be on him and the people around him, so there's everyone is shown as they are. Also due to the song's nature and message about  bringing people together, it's important to show equality between the genders.

I found that the editing usually goes in beat with the music, a common trait of music video's, meaning nothing is being subverted in how the video is seen. A good example of this is the end, when the final chorus starts playing, it cuts to the funeral of the rapper Proof. I believe that in this instance this has been done so that this is one of the final visual messages that the viewer will see. This could mean that Eminem personally wants to advertise a message that feuds and disagreements are irrelevant when you compare it to the potential or actual loss of someone close to you. The Video is also structured in a specific way to the song, which is telling a narrative of Eminem being involved in feuds. This could be to show how he has changed, by relating himself to the situation, then showing the consequences, and then showing how he doesn't want feuds to exist. His argument for it is stronger as we see his personal story. For example When the chorus plays, it shows the hospital scene of Eminem, except for the final chorus when it is the funeral of Proof. The verse's are then left to tell his story.

To try and understand the meaning of the song and the video, I analysed the lyrics to see any meanings and to see if they are visually represented in the video.

"Step by step, heart to heart, left right left

We all fall down like toy soldiers

But by bit, torn apart, we never win

But the battle wages on for toy soldiers"

These lyrics form the chorus of the song. The meaning of these lyrics are about how everyone's come's out of these feuds or 'wars' looking foolish. It also represents how the people are like literal toy soldiers, fighting in other peoples conflicts, and by using the term 'toy soldiers' demeans the whole nature of it, By using a child's toy, brings the whole meaning of the reason to fight down, as you can call it childish and meaningless.

"There's a certain line you don't cross and he crossed it

I heard him say Hailie's name on a song and I just lost it"

These lyrics talk about Ja rule (He) and how he mentioned Eminem's daughter in a "diss" track, a song where you mock another person, popular in the rap genre. These lyrics could've been included in the song to show where Eminem has come in terms of maturing and wanting to end the violence and also answering questions as to why he retaliated and made a diss track back. 

"There used to be a time when you could just say a rhyme

and wouldn't have to worry about one of your people dyin'"

These lyrics talk about the past of the rap genre.  It also shows how Eminem clearly is wishing for those same circumstances to still be like at the present, but it unfortunately isn't like that, as he is releasing this song to talk about it, and possibly advocate for those past circumstances to come back, to create a less violent atmosphere in the rap community.

"It's not a plea that I'm copping I'm just willing to be the bigger man if y'all can quit popping off at your jaws well then i can"

These lyrics again talk about Eminem wants the violence to end before someone dies. However, the 'plea' that he references could be interpreted as half-hearted on Eminem's part, as he says he's willing to be the bigger man if they stop, rather than just apologising.

Ofcom: What is it?

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An Overview on Record labels.

To help with understanding music videos as an art form, I decided to have a look at different record labels. This was to see whose records they have distributed and also to see what type of music certain labels like to market. From what I've learnt, is that with mainstream labels they have a big impact in the marketing of music videos, and also quite a big say as into what the music video features in it.

To help with research, I looked at three different record labels to get an idea of how they came about and the different bands they have signed to them.

Warner Bros. Records

Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an Mainstream American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. Rob Cavallo serves as Chairman of the company.

Warner Bros. Records was established in 1958 as the recorded music division of the American movie studio Warner Brothers Pictures. For most of its existence it was one of a group of labels owned and operated by larger parent corporations. The sequence of companies that controlled Warner Bros. and its allied labels evolved through a convoluted series of corporate mergers and acquisitions from the early 1960s to the early 2000s. Over this period, Warner Bros. Records grew from a struggling minor player in the industry to become one of the top recording labels in the world.

Some artists they have on their label are-

-Adam Lambert

-Avenged Sevenfold

-Biffy Clyro

-Echosmith

-Gorillaz

-Wu tang clan

Geffen Records is a mainstream American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, which operates as one third of the Interscope Geffen A&M Music label. Today, it is headquartered in the city of New York and is headed by Gee Robertson.

Geffen Records was founded in 1980 by music industry businessman David Geffen, who, in the early 1970s, had founded Asylum Records. As the 1980s progressed, Geffen would go on to have success with such acts as Quarterflash, Kylie Minogue and Sammy Hagar In the meantime, the label continued to sign a handful of established music icons, including: Elton John,Don Henley, Neil Young and Peter Gabriel. Universal Music Group acquired Polygram in 1999, resulting in a corporate reorganization of labels. Geffen Records, along with A&M Records, was subsequently merged into Interscope Records.

Some Artists they have on their label are- 
-Beck
-Blink 182
-Rise Against
-Snoop Dogg

XL Recordings is a British independent record label owned by Richard Russel. It originated as a 1989 offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records and is part of the Beggars Group of labels.

Though only releasing an average of six albums a year, XL Recordings has worked with Adele, The Prodigy,Radiohead, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A., Vampire Weekend, The Horrors, Electric Six, Tyler the Creator and FKA Twigs. The label releases albums worldwide and operates across a range of genres.

Some Artists they have on their label are-

-Adele

-Jack White

-Radiohead

-Vampire Weekend

Summary of Labels Researched

Each label I have researched has artists of different genres signed to them. This isn't the case with all labels, as some do cater to specific genre's, for example Roadrunner Records have predominantly Rock and Metal band signed to them.The differences between the labels I've researched are the first two are owned and part of a business, whereas XL is independently owned by 1 person. The first two are part of a wider entertainment company whereas the last just releases music. 

Differences between Labels
There are two type of labels, Independent and 'Mainstream'. Independent labels are small and localised to an area, whereas the 'Mainstream' labels are usually part of a larger media group. Warner Bros Records and Geffen Records are both mainstream whereas XL Recordings is and Indie Label. A mainstream label will have more funding and will have more connections, whereas a independent label will be more private and produce less content than bigger mainstream record companies. Warner Bros is part of a huge media company which deal with Films and TV as well as Music. Geffen is a solely focused on music and is mainstream and XL is independent and like Geffen, focused solely on Music.

My Video
For my music video, I'd probably go for the mainstream label Warner Bros. This is because they would have a bigger budget and also are a well known company, meaning it would give more opportunities for the video to be successful.