3. For this specific task, I have chosen to analysis Lil Wayne, who is a famous
rapper across the globe. I have chosen 3 different magazines that have had him
on the front cover and have noticed that all of the aim to do the same thing
which is to give him a very big status and this can be especially seen on the
VIBE magazines front cover as they have used a throne as one of the props for
the front cover to make out and give over the image of Lil Wayne being a king
and maybe the king of rap, as that is obviously his profession. They have also
made is clear for us to see that he is very wealthy due to the fact that he is
wearing a very expensive watch and also a diamond ring and other diamond
themed jewellery.
4. The use of these props for his costume can also be connected with the use of a throne to
show that he is almost royalty because of what he has accomplished in the music
industry. This can also be seen in the XXL magazine which also features Lil Wayne but
they have used different props and effects to give a similar image. They have used Lil
Wayne’s image on top of an empty planet, which seems to be the moon and in an
astronaut’s costume. This can suggest to the audience that he is completely different to
everyone else, but the thing that connects this front cover to the other one that VIBE
have used is the use of the cover lines on him. It states in big letters `Wayne’s World’
which shows that Lil Wayne is so good that he runs the world and no one can be like him.
Also, they have used a quote he has made, `I am on another level. So rappers be scared.’
They have put all of this in capital letters to make Lil Wayne come across as serious and
scary but to also this quite also can be linked the VIBE front cover which shows Lil
Wayne on a throne, which states he is the king. This magazine has done the same thing by
allowing him to state that he is on another level compared to everyone else. Yet again,
there is another reference to him being better than all of the other rappers. This allows
the costume used on the XXL front cover to make sense as the other level could be the
fact that he has no gravity on the moon and is actually rising above the other rappers in
the industry, another level of gravity. Whereas the other front cover that the Rolling Stone
have given a different interpretation to their audience about Lil Wayne.
5. They have also portrayed Lil Wayne as quite a serious character due to the
facial expressions he is using and then the costume they have used is to
allow people see what is truly like, allowing them to see all of his tattoos
and how different he is compared to other people. This can be tied in with
the fact that he is making gang remarks when posing for his picture which
could mean that the tattoos are connected to his gang lifestyle. All of these
things that the magazine has used to present Lil Wayne to the audience are
connected to the cover line they have written about him. `Lil Wayne goes to
jail,’ this clearly suggest to the audience that rapper has gone to jail for his
gang lifestyle and that is maybe gang related, that Lil Wayne is quiet
dangerous and they have also given an insight to his actual life rather than
his career, which is clearly a contrast between these magazines.
6. Another contrast between these magazines is the fact that the Rolling stone
magazine has him topless and showing off his tattoos, where as the other two
have Lil Wayne wearing clothes. The fact that the Rolling stone have used this
sort of image to present Lil Wayne to their audience could show that the article
inside the magazine is a lot more explicit and personal as he has been stripped
down to his bare chest and showing off his tattoos which can be deemed as a
fairly personal thing for people, especially as he has so man, which can and will
suggest to the audience that he has had a lot of things happen in his life.
