The document provides an evaluation of a music video created for an experimental hip hop artist. [1] It summarizes the locations, costumes, and visual elements used in the video and explains how they follow typical codes and conventions of the hip hop genre. [2] Special attention was paid to accurately representing the artist's hometown and ethnicity. [3] Throughout the video, visuals were carefully selected to relate to the lyrics and match the tone and pace of the song. Stereotypes were both embraced and challenged to craft a video true to the artist's vision.

1. EVALUATION
QUESTION 1
HARVEY JOHNSON

2. 1
LOCATION
▸The basis of hip hop and experimental hip hop is that it
should different to other genre’s and seem “urban” so due to
this I have used locations which are new and haven’t been seen in other music videos before in order to
bring something completely new to the fans and to differentiate the video from competitors. Locations
also follow many typical codes and conventions of a hip hop music video such as graffiti, and
underpasses which have been used on purpose so that there’s a relationship between the audio and the
visuals which follows Andrew Goodwin’s theory and ensures that viewers experience the meaning in all
ways. The main reason for using these locations is due to the kind of lyrics from the artist which follow the
stereotypical lyrical style of hip hop with quite sad and dark lyrics so by using a happy well lit location this
would contrast this and wouldn’t fit the song at all. A record shop has been used so that the viewers can
make an even deeper link between the audio and the visuals as stereotypically most hip hop tracks are
sampled from vinyl so by using this location this shows how the artists celebrates and continues the
music from the past using sampling methods to produce their music. Dark lighting has been used in some
of the shots to represent the dark nature of the lyrics and brighter shots have been used at low angles to
make the artist seem powerful.

3. 2
CELEBRATING BIRTHPLACE
▸Throughout hip hop it can commonly be seen that a high percentage
of rappers like to celebrate the place that they are from and
from my music video analyses I noticed that both artist used shots
from their hometown which is why i thought it was important for us to shoot the music
video in the artists hometown so that the audience don’t see him as “fake” and so that
they know he hasn’t forgot about where he has come from. It is also follows a typical
stereotype which is so essential within hip hop of putting the rappers city on the map
as this adds to the fame of the artist in the way that all the fans from this area will
continue to promote the artist for free as they want to be known as coming from the
sam place as their local artist as they receive popularity through association. from my
research i found that famous artists such as section boys use carparks at night for
their videos which helps add to the urban nature of the feature which is why I have
decided to include a car park shot so that I can make the video seem as urban as
possible.

4. 3
THE PERFORMER
▸I have chosen to follow the stereotype that a lot of African -
British men listen to hip hop, as my research showed that a
majority of my audience where males and were black so by doing this when the audience is watching
the video it will seem more relevant as they can associate themselves in the same sub group in society
as the artist. through analysing 2 music videos I saw that most of the performers within the videos
where of african heritage so id decided to continue this so that it’s clear that what the rapper speaks
about is true as if many hip hop artists celebrate their ancestry however if the artist celebrated a
heritage which was not their own this wouldn’t make any sense. The rapper has also worn brands which
are stereotypical of the genre such as adidas as from carrying out my research I found that a majority of
rappers wear this brand and the fact that they have many collaborations with other rappers such as
Kanye West & Stormzy. Hip hop fans are often outcasted by society so have to find their own locations
to call their own which is why the location of plantation gardens was used as it shows that the artist has
been doubted by his peers but due to his motivation has succeeded anyway. Hip hop is commonly
referred to as “trap” which is a term used describing how individuals are trapped in underprivileged
areas which is why I have used such grimy locations to show that the rapper has been through hardship
and has had to work harder than other individuals to get to the place where they are today.

5. 4
COSTUME
▸As fashion is so intertwined wth hip hop it was important to get
the artist to dress using brands which are associated with hip hop
and it’s greatest as the theory behind it is that my artists wearing brands like adidas will help viewers to
associate the artist with other rappers who are very successful such as Kanye West so in theory will
make them seem just as successful as these other artists as they can afford to wear the same clothes as
them also showing their wealth without being ignorant and showing off about it. through research I also
found out that as a society we often judge a book by it’s cover so if an artist is talented but doesn’t look
the part they’re often not taken seriously which is another reason why i’ve decided to put so much effort
into the dressing of the artist. Social media also plays a big part in promotion of an artist and i have
noticed that other rappers such as Lil B & Drake have benefitted from an app called vine where people
share 10 second videos and most commonly this is of people mimicking dance moves which is why the
artist has his own signature moves called “The Tadi Dance” in hope that other performers will do covers
of this dance and incorporate it into their own works. I also saw from my music video analyses that artists
commonly use vinyl and feature clips of this n their works which is why id decided to get a clip from a
vinyl. A lot of artists wear expensive chains and jewellery however i’ve decided to challenge this
convention as I don’t want the video to have style over substance (Debord/Strynati) as I want people to
realise the talent of the artist and not be fooled by the visuals.

6. 5
THE NARRATIVE
▸My music video uses a non linear (fragmented) narrative structure as it includes a range of shots set in different sequences
in time which are juxtaposed together in order to follow the typical codes and conventions of a hip hop music video as from
my research and deep analysis of the song i’ve noticed that a story as such isn’t really needed as the song itself doesn’t
really refer to a story in which a linear structure could be applied. I used a fragmented structure which follows the typical
narrative of hip hop music videos as it allows the audience to deconstruct their own meaning and bring their own
interpretation to it. I also made sure that there was a match between the audio and the visuals following Andrew Goodwin’s
theory. When creating my storyboard I decided that this type of structure would be used to follow the typical conventions I
identified in my music video analysis of faced paced shots however if I had used a linear structure this wouldn’t of been
clear and would of been hard to make sense of for the viewer. Also from research into theorists I found a description of the
effect of a narrative structure in the words of Jean Goddard in the idea that “a linear structure is inherently populist, the
known and predictable” which doesn’t fit into the genre of experimental hip hop and hip hop in general as from my analysis
of music videos I saw that the unpredictable nature of the feature was what kept me interested, an effect which I wanted to
be pursued into my own works. Using Jon Gow’s theory I can identify that my video fits into the genre of “the enhanced
performance” as it includes multiple vital elements from other subcategories such “special effect extravaganza “, “the song
and dance number” & “the performance documentary” which has been done so that viewers focus on the audio and visual
in proportion making up the complete cinematic experience. By following the conventional structure this allows for viewers
to understand the video easily as this is a structure they are used to seeing so will not confuse or require a lot of information
to watch. In order to save time an editing technique has been used called ellipsis where some of the clips had content which
was unnecessary and bring no value to the picture so these clips were removed or shortened so that the viewer can have
the best content.

7. 6
REPRESENTATION - ETHNICITY
▸Within my music video I decided not to follow the typical stereotypes of black males as I
don’t feel they are true & show the subgroup of society in a negative light. Within my
music video I chose not to follow the basic stereotypes about black males such as:
not valuing or respecting women
showing off their success through financial means
acting like they are from a poor & dangerous area
Possession of weapons
Prominent drug abuse
Breaking the law
Hating police

8. TYPICAL CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF HIP HOP
ANDREW GOODWIN - A RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE AUDIO AND THE VISUALS
▸Hip hop Music videos often try to incorporate as many aspects of their lyrics visually such as showing their money through cars
and expensive jewellery and their success trough money & women. They also like to show that they have an enjoyable
entertaining life by showing multiple shots of them partying and drinking with friends to show that they are popular. Below is an
example of this as you can see rappers Rick Ross and Diddy who are holding bottle of one of the most hip ho associated
drinks circa which is commonly used to portray financial wealth. Throughout my music video I decided to show this relationship
in a different way so that we could stay true when representing the artist as there isn’t an emphasis on alcohol in his lyrics so
below you can see a quote from a kendrick lamar video which has been put on the screen to emphasise the importance of this
line keeping it in the viewers head. On the bottom left it can be seen how I have replicated this into my own feature putting the
lyrics on the screen to give them more emphasis and also you can see how i’ve taken this a step further by not only putting the
lyrics on screen but also by editing them onto a shot which shows visually an image which is closely related to the lyric. So the
relationship can be seen in the fact that the word “lord” is on the screen and that it is heard editorially and the artist is praying
which again links in. The reasons above show why it was important to carry through this convention by using kinetic
Typography and the effect it has had on the picture.
My music video Kendrick Lamars music video

9. TYPICAL CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF HIP HOP
ANDREW GOODWIN - A RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE MUSIC AND THE VISUALS
▸From my audience feedback it could be seen that the link between the music and
the visuals is evident as one of the comments was that they liked the increasing
pace of the editing style and how as the drop comes closer the a fast paced editing
technique is used. Hip hop can also be described as “trap” which is a term used to
describe the genre as it explains how they are trapped in poverty ridden areas and
social housing situations so due to this most hip hop music videos use dark lighting
and dark shots in general as the music gives a dark eerie feeling. Many dark shots
from night have been used in order to give the visuals the same feeling as the
song itself otherwise it will clash and leave viewers confused. The happier parts of
the song are complimented by brighter shots compared to the darker parts of the
song which use darker shots.

10. TYPICAL CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF HIP HOP
ICONOGRAPHY
▸One convention I felt it was extremely important to follow was carrying
the artists iconography across my promotional package as when
conducting my music video analysis I saw that rappers such as Capital
Steez often use the number 47 with a red circle around it which he is
always associated with. From this analysis I saw how fans started to
graffiti this across the world and how it is an instant association to the
artist. Tadi’s iconography is more physical in the sense it was heavily
linked to fashion being his adidas jacket which he can be seen wearing
across all of the promotional package. By ensuring this jacket is
recognised; an association will then be made by the audience so they
can see how they can be part of the same sub group of society through
the way the dress.