Textual Analysis- Rihanna- Rudeboy

Song- Rihanna- Rudeboy

Released- February 19, 2010
Video type- Concept
Directed by- Melina Matsoukas

The genre of this video is R&B. It is a concept based video where Rihanna speaks of her desire to meet a 'rudeboy' who can please her in the ways in which she pleases. This video does not conform to the conventions of videos of this genre.

The use of technical codes to help with the construction of the representations in this video is effective. The camera work in this video for example invites the audience to identify Rihanna as the most dominant and her significance to the video is highlighted by her appearance in the foreground and centre of every frame. In contrast to typical videos of this genre it is the men that are being objectified as Rihanna uses them to appeal to her and please her. This is signified through their presentation in the background of frames and the use of high angle shots. The Mise-en-scene also allows us to construct some representations as Rihanna, like other females in videos like this seems to be dressed provocatively and is performing dances of a provocative nature. However it seems as though she is doing this for her own entertainment purposes and not to appeal to the 'male gaze'. The use of red lipstick also connotes her sexual provocativeness. Rihanna is dressed in revealing clothing and this is an indication of the post feminist beliefs where women assert their right to dress in this nature.

The representation of females in this video contrasts to their stereotypical representation. Because Rihanna is the sole female character in this video the representation is based on her and the audience sees her dominance in the video and this is emphasised through the lyrics as she is looking for a man to use and this is different to the usual objectification of women. The male representation also doesn't conform to the stereotype as men are usually dominant and don't seem to be in this video.

Rihanna is signed to Def Jam records which is a major record label which usually signs artists of this genre. This video featured on MTV, MTV Base, Kiss, Smash Hits, Flava and Channel AKA. This video was requested many times.

The target audience for this video is teenagers and young adults. It may be watched by these people for purposes of diversion where they watch it for entertainment and an escape from everyday life. Personal relationship purposes can also be applied as they could watch this video as a basis for conversations. The post feminist values can be applied to this video as Rihanna is shown as a dominant character and she is asserting her right to dress and act provocatively. It however opposes Laura Mulvey's theory that women are objectified in videos as in this video it is the male characters that are being represented in this way. Overall this video does not conform to these stereotypes but the go against these stereotypes which is what makes it unique and suggests its success on the music channels.

Textual Analysis- Kanye West - Gold Digger ft. Jamie Foxx

Song- Kanye West - Gold Digger ft. Jamie Foxx
Released- August 2, 2005
Video type- Concept
Directed by- Hype Williams

The genre of this video is Hip Hop/R&B. It is a concept based video where the lyrics have a strong narrative with Kanye West speaking of 'gold diggers' and how they only get with rich men for their money and have no interest in anything else. This video adheres to the conventions of music videos of this genre.

The technical codes in this concept based video aid the construction of the representation of the characters in this video. The use of Mise-en-scene does this as both artists are wearing appropriate costumes and the use of props that are generic conventions of Hip Hop/R&B videos. Kanye West is wearing a slick shirt and jeans which is a typical costume worn by these artists and Jamie Foxx is wearing an expensive looking white suit which is an indication of his wealth and lifestyle. The females in this video are dressed in sexy outfits and again highlights their objectification as sex objects for the 'male gaze'. They appear half dressed and are wearing skin tight outfits. The camerawork is also effective as it gives an idea of who is dominant and is more important in the video. It is obvious that in this video the two artists are dominant and their superiority is exemplified through the framing as they are always presented in the foreground and centre of every frame. It is also shown through the continuous use of low angle shots to show this. The use of camera again gives an idea of the representation of females as they are always placed in the background when in the same frame as the artists. Also the camera seems to focus on their bodily assets rather that focusing on their face for example.

The representation of the characters in this video does adhere to the stereotypical representations in videos of this genre. There is clear distinction between the importance of male and female characters as the male characters superiority and higher status in the hierarchy is emphasised. The representation of the female characters is again mostly shown through the camerawork as the camera does not seem to be interested in the female characters' facial features but rather their sexual assets as there is more focus on those parts of her body.

Both artists are signed to respectable record labels. Kanye West is associated with GOOD Music which was set up by him, Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam Records. Jamie Foxx is signed to Def Jam records. This video was played on channels such as Box, MTV Base, Kiss and Channel AKA. Which again are channels that specialise in the Hip Hop/R&B genre.

The target audience for this video is teenagers and young adults. Some audiences may watch this video for diversion as an escape from everyday life. They may also watch it for personal relations as a basis of conversation with friends. The Feminism theories can be applied to this website as the women are not being respected but are rather solely for the entertainment of the male audiences. Also Laura Mulvey's theory that females are being used as sex objects for the pleasure of the 'male gaze'. Overall the representations in this video relies on stereotypes and this is what makes it conventional of other videos from this genre.

textual analysis: Keri Hilson - Knock You Down ft. Kanye West, Ne-Yo

Song- Keri Hilson - Knock You Down ft. Kanye West, Ne-Yo
Released- March 24, 2009
Video type- Concept
Directed by- Chris Robinson

The genre of this song is Hip Hop/R&B. It is a concept based video with the Keri Hilson, Kanye West and Ne-Yo rap/sing about being in deep in love with someone. This video adheres to stereotypes of videos of this genre, however it also goes against some of these stereotypes.

This concept based video uses technical codes to construct the representation of the characters in the video. The use of Mise-en-scene constructs some of these representations as the characters are dressed appropriately for a video of this genre. Keri Hilson is dressed in an appealing nature and the fact that she is lying in a bed and the male character is drawing a portrait of her indicates their equality in terms of hierarchy which does not conform to the stereotypes of videos from this genre. Ne-Yo is dressed smartly and is wearing a top hat which is a convention of R&B singers as they dress in this way. Kanye West is also dressed smartly and do not seem to behave in a similar way to other rappers as he speaks about being in love whereas typically rappers speak about living a good life and having many 'chicks'. The framing also aids the construction of these representations as at each artists' verse they are shown in a M2S with the character they are in love with and the fact that they are positioned so close to each other indicates their affection towards each other. And they seem to be proud of each other as you in one scene where it is a party setting Ne-Yo is there and sees all the pretty females but seems to only be interested in Keri Hilson which again doesn't conform to these stereotypes. The effective use of editing is indicated by the scene where Kanye West is reminiscing on his 'high school sweetheart' in this scene the frame is split into two one with Kanye rapping and the other of a black and white shot of Keri Hilson in a cheerleader outfit. This shot is effective as the use of costume connotes a high school atmosphere and the use of black and white indicates that he reminiscing and it is something that is supposed to have happened beforehand. The fact that both the male and female characters are both presented in the foreground further highlights their equality in importance.

The representation of these characters does not rely as much on stereotypes as most videos. As the female artist and male artists seem to be on the same level of importance indicated by the framing. The use of low angle shots with all the artists shows their dominance and importance. The representation of the male artists is typical to that of R&B artists. In this video women are not being objectified although Keri Hilson seems to be provocatively dressed. The use of many M2S's again represents the affection of the characters and the use of the Keri Hilson lying in bed thinking about the man she is in love with is a stereotype for females as they seem to behave in this way. The fact that both the male and female artists are positioned in the centre of the frame which again signifies their equality in importance to the video.

The artists in this video are signed to mainstream record labels. Keri Hilson is signed to Zone 4, Mosley Music, Interscope. Interscope is a subsidiary owned by Universal Music Group. Ne-Yo is signed to Def Jam Records and Kanye West is associated with GOOD Music which was set up by him, Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam Records. This video was played on MTV Base, Kiss, Smash Hits and Channel AKA.

target audience for this video is teenagers and young adults. These audiences may watch this video for entertainment value. But could also watch it for personal identity where they believe that the artists that are presented in the video reflect themselves in some way. They could also watch it for diversion purposes as an escape from everyday life and for surveillance purposes to discover what is going on in the life of their favourite artists. Post-Feminist theories could be applied to this video as Keri Hilson is dressed similarly to the women that you may describe as sex objects in other videos however she is challenging these stereotypes as she is not being objectified but instead is aiming to surpass the male artists instead of being on the same level as them in terms of patriarchal hierarchy. She also seems to represent their idea of the 'female gaze' where women actively desire men and she asserts her rights to be sexually attractive. Overall, although this video does not completely adhere to the stereotypes of music videos of this genre. Nonetheless there are still aspects that fit the typical conventions of videos of this genre.

Textual Analysis: Birdman - Money To Blow ft. Lil Wayne, Drake

Song- Birdman - Money To Blow ft. Lil Wayne, Drake
Released- September 25, 2009
Video type- Performance
Directed by- Gil Green

The genre of this song is Hip Hop. This is a concept based video where the rappers are talking about having money to blow. There are also female characters in this video and yet again the females are used as eye-candy in this video. The lyrics in this song is based on living a luxurious lifestyle as the rappers have multiple cars and jewellery and tattoos which is a convention of song from this genre.

The video is concept based where Birdman, Drake and Lil Wayne rap about living the 'high life' where they have money in excess that they can afford to 'blow'. The Mise-en-scene in this video is effective as the female characters are dressed provocatively wearing lingerie and skin tight leather outfits. There is also use of many expensive looking cars and jewellery worn by the artists which is an indication of the lifestyle they live and the money that the artists are throwing around throughout the video and the expensive outfits and champagne that they are spilling. The use of camera is also essential in the construction of representation as the male characters are presented in the foreground where the female characters are presented in the background. The use of low angle shots of the three artists highlight their dominance and importance to the video. And the fact that the female characters are presented in the background and are mostly framed with MCU's and a focus on their appealing assets.

The representation of the characters in this video relies heavily on stereotypes as the three rappers are represented as dominant and superior in this video as they are perceived to be living a luxurious lifestyle this is shown through the Mise-en-scene with their cars and jewellery. Birdman is covered in tattoos and stands next to all white Lamborghini's and Bentley's this indicates that he is very wealthy as these cars are very expensive he also gives the audience an insight into his jewellery where there is a CU which zooms to a BCU of his jewellery and all the diamonds in it which again reinforces his wealth. Drake is represented in a similar way and is perceived to be a ladies man as in one scene he is rapping with two provocatively dressed ladies on either side of him the fact that he positioned in the centre in the foreground and they are in the background again underlines his superiority and dominance in comparison to the female characters. The representation of Lil Wayne is similar to that of the other two rappers. The representation of the female characters contrasts to this as they are represented as sexual objects used only to appeal to the 'male gaze' which comes from the theory produced by Laura Mulvey. The use of women as objects for the pleasure of men is further emphasised by their positioning in some of the frames as they are positioned next to the other objects that appeal to the male nature such as the expensive cars which shows that they are not appreciated on the same level as the male characters but as objects. Furthermore the use of POV shots also invites the male audience to join in.

All of the artists in this video are signed to respectable record labels. They are all signed to Cash Money Records which is the label set up by Birdman and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. This video was mostly played on MTV Base, Kiss and Flava as they are three mainstream channels that specialise in videos of this genre.

The target audience for this video is also young people aged 16-25. They may watch this video for escapism and diversion purposes where they would watch this for aesthetic appreciation and they may envy the lifestyle of these rappers and attempt to emulate it by aiming to dress similarly and behave in the same manner that they do. Moreover audiences may also watch this video for personal relationship purposes which gives a basis of conversation and social interaction. Yet again the feminist theories could be applied to this video as the female characters are being objectified and remain below the ranking of men in the patriarchal hierarchy.