analyzing the music video: King Kunta by Kendrick Lamar.

1. Genre Music Video Analysis
By Jamie Tilsley

2. Introduction
• In this task, I will be choosing a music video to analyse which will
be in the same/similar genre as the song we will be creating a
music video for. This will help me discover the key elements
within the genre so I can implement them into my music video to
make it better and appropriate for the genre.
• The music video that I will be analysing is: King Kunta By Kendrick
Lamar.

3. What is the genre of the Music Video?
By watching the music video, it can be deduced
that the music video is of the rap genre. Various
conventions of the rap genre are included within
the video which I will state:

4. Low angle shot
• A convention in music videos of the rap genre tends to be a low angle shot
of the rapper or characters in the video. This shot of Kendrick gives him a
powerful angle of him above the audience, giving him a view of importance
and charisma that gives him a positive and star quality.

5. Settings
• The setting of the music video is Compton, California which is known for its gang
affiliations. This is often linked to rap with roots from gangs and a persistent
subject matter on gangs. This tells us that the music video has obvious links in
the rap genre.

6. Women
• The inclusion of the women inside the video, portrays to the audience that
Kendrick is desirable to the women in the video and gives him a more positive
appearance. This is a common theme and appears frequently in rap videos,
making it fit into the rap genre.

7. Crowds
• Often times in rap there are crowds shown jumping up and down
or dancing along with the music. This portrays the popularity of
the rapper and also the song as people are shown to

8. Analyse the setting and décor of the music
video.
• Setting in music videos and décor can have connotations to the audience that can tell
them things not portrayed in just the song.
- For example, within the King Kunta music video, the main setting of the video is
Compton, California more specifically “Bompton”, an area of the city heavily populated
by the “Blood” gang. This specific area holds a past for Kendrick Lamar as he grew up
there. This means the video is shot in a setting which is very familiar to him, enabling
him to give a better performance. This setting fits in well with the genre as gang culture
and rap often go hand in hand as it is a frequent subject matter in the genre. The
majority of the video is also shot outside in common places such as parking lots or in a
front garden. This portrays the message of the song which is basically asking: where
were Kendrick’s fans when he was just an average Joe walking down the streets- “Bitch
where were you when I was walking?”.

9. Costumes
• The main character in the music video Kendrick
Lamar is seen wearing quite regular clothes in
todays fashion. A plain white t-shirt, baseball
jacket, jeans and a cap. This regular attire links
to the message of the video again saying where
were all his fans when he wasn’t famous. The fact
he is wearing his regular attire that he would of
wore before he was famous, shows his character
hasn’t changed, he has just become more
recognised. The addition of a sports baseball
jacket portrays the characters strength and good
sporting ability, making him appear good at sports
which may be enviable for some people

10. Costumes
• The women shown in the video have scantily
dressed costumes on whilst dancing next to
Kendrick. The fact they are wearing revealing
clothing shows they are comfortable around
Kendrick and he has women appealing to him
makes the audience think he is appealing too as
he is shown with these women. The fact they are
wearing flashy jewellery also signifies Kendrick’s
wealth, as the women are associated with him and
it speaks to the audience that Kendrick may have
bought them that jewellery.

11. Costumes
• Lastly, the costume of a side character is shown
in all red. This is a definite representation of
the “Blood” gang as shown in the amount of
red the character is wearing. This is a
connotation of the gang as they are
represented by the colour red and gang
members can be identified by the colour. This
links to the rap genre and the subject matter
that is regularly used in songs of that genre.

12. Body Language
• The body language of Kendrick throughout the
video is open and confident as he dances in front
of crowds and general has an opened appearance.
This confidence shown in body language makes him
seem more charismatic and gives him more of a
likable character as his personality comes out more
in the video. This links to the rap genre as the
rappers in the videos often need to be the centre
of attention

13. Performance
• The performance of Kendrick is very
lively and his body movements are often
exaggerated to make him appear more
energetic. This shows the audience his
charisma and that he has a big
personality. His performance may also
appear more natural, as the place of
filming is where Kendrick grew up as a
child, also filmed with his friends and
family, making him more comfortable in
front of the camera.

14. Narrative
• The basic narrative shown in the music video is
showing that Kendrick is still an average person and
has not changed through the money and fame. This
can be shown through the activities and settings of
the music video. All are everyday settings for
Kendrick, such as parking lots, liquor stores and
peoples front gardens in Compton. This fits along with
the chorus of the song asking his fans “Where were
you when I was walking?”. This question is backed up
by the fact Kendrick is showing his fans through the
narrative that he is the same as he was before the
fame and that the fans weren’t with him when he was
a nobody in Compton.