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.