The music video for "Oh" by Ciara featuring Ludacris adheres to many hip hop music video conventions. It features provocative dancing by Ciara in typical hip hop attire to attract male viewers, while also portraying Ciara as confident and in control. The video depicts everyday life in Atlanta through its street settings and imagery associated with gangs. It aims to appeal to its target audience of 16-25 year olds through its sexual content and portrayal of Ciara and Ludacris as hip hop icons.

2. Profile Track Name : OH Artist: Ciara ft Ludacris Directors: Andre Davis & Vidal Davis Song written by : Ciara Released: March 2005 as her 3 rd single from debut album Goodies. Genre: Hip Hop Type of Video: Performance based/ Concept based

3. The down tempo song features hip-hop elements and a heavy baseline, and can be seen as an anthem to Ciara’s hometown, Atlanta, Georgia. Ciara sings about the many things the city has to offer, while Ludacris raps about city life and makes sexual references towards Ciara.(‘Ciara got sex appeal’)

4. Forms & Conventions - Adherence to Hip Hop music video conventions Black male gangsters wearing baseball jackets and baseball hats as well as trousers worn low. Ciara dressed in typical ‘hoochie’ American clothes eg cropped jeans, Nike Dunks and a cropped T-shirt showing off her stomach which is likely to attract male audience. Womanly features such as her bum are emphasised by close up shots and low key lighting which again attracts male audiences. Choreographed provocative and erotic dancing hip hop dance. Flashy jewellery eg Ciara wears oversized hooped earrings, male gangsters wear grills ( typical to American black dominated area's such as Atlanta & Georgia) , heavy neck chains, watches and rings. Visible Cadillac cars in the background another feature typical to the Hip Hop genre. Setting : Video is shot in a typical normal street to begin with then moves to a much darker set with red lights more Cadillac cars with gangsters posing in them. The set ties in with the lyric’s as Ciara sings about everyday life in Atlanta and Georgia. The main recurring colours in this video are blacks, reds again an association can be made with America’s notorious ‘Crips & Blood Gangs who brand these colours to associate themselves as being part , it is also seen in many Hip Hop video’s as many rappers are part either gang for example The Game has a song called One Blood which again represents gang life, therefore the main colours used in this video can be assumed to symbolise gangs and Hip Hop culture. Throughout the video low key lighting is used which helps to maintain a sort of edgy atmosphere which complements the genre of the video. Close ups & medium close ups allow us to clearly see the singer and rappers facial expressions., also allows the audience too connect with the artists on a personal level. Younger audiences may even seek to imitate and emulate the artists as they present there way of life in such an appealing way eg nice cars ,clothes and jewellery. Long and wide shots are also used to sustain audience interest as well as keeping them engaged i.e. the whole singers body can be seen, this is particularly emphasised when she is dancing. CGI – Computer Generated Imagery is used to enhance certain features within the video for example making the car rims shiner than they actually are this grasp the audiences attention keeping them engaged with the video. Fades are used to blend shots and scene changes together this is so the video looks smooth and keeps the hip hop element maintained in each scene thus reflecting the genre of the video at all times. Post modernism used in this video blurs fiction and reality thus creates a more mediated view of reality which is used to draw in audience and portrays the singers and rappers lives as something to be emulated and imitated. Post feminism & feminism - Messages of sexual empowerment alongside assertive ,provocative and in control of 'the gaze‘( females purposely dress themselves in ways that appeal to men) The females are shown as confident, sassy, sexy icons, Ciara shows she is in control as she is the lead singer and dancer in this video. Identifies the female gaze whereby women actively desire men. Marxism- The video’s narrative is about the things Atlanta and Georgia in America have to offer which is evident in the settings i.e. the streets and the car park place where the rapper and the Cadillac car is .Marxist’s would suggest that this video portrays a positive message as it demonstrates people living there almost as one community/family which is seen as a positive thing in life. However in reality this would not be the case as there are still insinuations made about gang life . For example in the lyrics Ciara says ‘gangsters don’t know how to act’, as well as the images of gangsters and the type of lighting still connotes gang life.

5. Two main artists used in this video: Ciara ( Female) singer and Ludacris ( male) rapper. The artists in the video are represented as two very individual beings who come together towards the end of the video as a sort of hip hop duo . The lyrics also tie in with the concept as both Ciara and Ludacris sing and rap about there way of life and where they come from. This is too supported by the settings and locations of the video as they are set prior to what Ciara sings about ( her home town and where she was brought up). Both Ciara and Ludacris represent hip hop culture, shown by the way they dress ( Ciara crop top hoodie and low worn cropped jeans & Ludacris low worn jeans , baseball jacket and a era hat). Ties in with Andrew Godwin’s theory of music video’s – There is a relationship with the music and visuals. - There is a reference to voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women, however this video subverts this as Ciara is portrayed as an independent female. - The genre itself ( Hip Hop ) has typical features that is associated with most hip hop video’s and the hip hop culture. For example a common elements seen in the majority of hip hop video’s as well as seen in people who have a part in hip hop culture i.e. listening to hip hop music or being a rapper or singer themselves tend to wear ‘bling bling’ jewellery. The ‘bling bling’ jewellery can be therefore seen as an association to the genre. Ciara and Ludacris both represent this element as Ciara wears blinged oversized hooped earrings and Ludacris wears heavy chains on his neck which are reinforced on Ludacris by low key lighting which puts emphasis on the heavy neck chains making him look like a wealthy man that has money. Ciara is represented in this video as a sexy hip hop dancer, the way she dances allure’s the male gaze as she moves in a provocative way which attracts male attention. Close up’s of her face in particular her lips are also shown which also emphasises the male gaze as she pouts her lips in a seductive way which appeal to the male audience. On the other hand she is shown to have strong character as she dances as the lead dancer while the back up dancers who are male and female dance behind her. The fact that the dance routine is also synchronised highlights the fact that she is the main person in the video as she is always at the front of the routine shown by constant medium shots and medium close ups of her. The norm in most hip hop video’s is for women to subjectively dance for men eg in Akon's video Smack That . This video subverts that as throughout the video up until the end Ciara dances in front of people putting on a performance however not for them in a sense that she is not dancing for individuals she is putting on a performance therefore is dancing for all. However towards the end of the video she does eventually dance for Ludacris which is reinstated by the sentence ‘Ciara has sex appeal’ which suggests that she is dancing in a way that he finds has sexual elements therefore reinforcing the stereotypical hip hop video assumption that women are sex symbols and should dance for men.

6. Institutions Recorded: Studio 609 Recordings, PA & Doppler Studio’s,Patchwerk Studio’s. Labels:La’face & Sho’nuff Released as a 3 rd single from her album Goodies the song OH was within the top 10 in the charts. This suggests that it appealed to a mainstream audience. The video was distributed digitally on YouTube, iTunes, on streaming sites such as Spotify and Vibe. It was also distributed on television as well as broadcasted on radio. “ Oh” was played on MTV, Kiss, Flava and The box as all these music channels cater for people who listen to Hip Hop and R&B music therefore appealing to a an a specifically targeted mainstream audience.

7. Audience The target audience for this video is 16-25year olds (Male & Female) .This is because the video makes sexual connotations and is slightly explicit eg the way Ciara grinds and dances. This may not be suitable for younger viewers as parents might not want their child to watch the sexual advancements and gestures made. Audiences in particular males are drawn to this video as Ciara’s voyeuristic female gaze is appealing. Females may also seek to imitate and emulate Ciara as she is portrayed as confident sexy icon. Post feminism and the Female gaze theories are applied in this video as Ciara is shown to be her own independent women and asserts her right to dress and be sexually attractive. The male gaze theory can also be applied to this video as men may seek to imitate Ludacris.