2. Poster Analysis 1This is the poster for The Weeknd’s album Starboy. The
Weeknd is an artist from the R&B genre and is known
for hiding social and controversial messages in his
videos, and other material he produces. The first
element of this poster, that is noticeable is the red
crucifix both held by the artist in the background which
is a snapshot from the song’s music video and in the eye
of female on the left of the artist. This prop obviously
has connotations of religion and faith, but due to the
pointed edges it ironically can be seen as a weapon.
This defeats the object of Christianity as it doesn’t
condone violence. This juxtaposition between the
Christian faith and the betrayal of it is a common
theme that runs through the poster and a lot of
material by The Weeknd.
Another element of the poster is obviously the artist,
The Weeknd. He is looking away from the camera,
which is a common attitude Hip hop artists tend to
have. This would then suggest that The Weeknd himself
and this poster is an example of Altman’s theory of
genre hybridisation as it borrows conventions from the
Hip Hop genre. Behind the main image of the artist are
various shots of the artist again, taken from the music
video for the Starboy song. The one over his right
shoulder is a picture of him with a mask and a lighter,
this image has connotations of crime which is a
stereotype borrowed from the Hip Hop genre. Also the
artist is wearing a crucifix which is again a very ironic
juxtaposition considering the outfit he is wearing.
3. Poster Analysis 2
Another prominent ideology The Weeknd uses a lot in
his work is the theme of killing himself, this would
however go against the doctrines of the Christian faith,
which is the religion that has heavy presence in his
work. An example of this is to the left of the artist
where he seems to be being suffocated with a bag.
This ties in with the theme created by the weaponised
crucifix, as it betrays the Christian faith even though
he is appearing to be a Christian.
In the video the masked figure reveals himself to be
The Weeknd. The fact he kills his old self is a metaphor
for him making a fresh start both with his music and
his personality. Another symbolic feature of The
Weeknd that proves this fresh start is his old hairstyle
which attracted a lot of attention but was cut before
he released Starboy. This can be seen in the top
banner of the masked man (revealed to be the ‘new’
Weeknd) facing his old self with his old hairstyle. The
setting for this banner is seemingly at The Weeknd’s
house as he appears to be captured or kidnapped. And
the masked man looks as if he is a thief. This again
connotes crime which a convention borrowed form
Hip hop.
4. Poster Analysis 3
The black panther seen on the right seems to be out of
place, but this is an esoteric feature The Weeknd that
only his fans will understand, it is a symbol to show his
loyal fans despite the changes he made he will still
always be the dark artist (panther) that he has been
from the start.
This poster contains more conventions from Hip Hop
than R&B and conforms to Rick Altman’s theory of
genre hybridisation. A convention it borrows from Hip
Hop is the display of wealth and materialism, this is
shown by the expensive car at the bottom of the
poster. This is unusual for The Weeknd, as he is not
usually seen with material things that implies his
wealth. Suggesting therefore he is more of an R&B
artist.
