This document contains analyses of the music video for the song "Good Life" by Kanye West featuring T-Pain. It discusses several aspects of the video, including its portrayal of wealth in line with R&B genre characteristics, how the lyrics and visuals work together, the use of close-ups to connect with the audience, and intertextual references that make the song relatable. The video is praised for its engaging visual effects that match the lyrics and keep the viewer interested in watching to see how the words are represented.

1. KanyeWest ft T-Pain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEKEjpTzB0Q

2. Goodwin-Genre Characteristics
The characteristics of an r’n’b genre is
usually defined for the artist to be showing
off their wealth.
In the first picture Kanye West is not saying
that he has fancy cars but he references it
suggesting that he does not need to say he
has it but we the audience will assume he has
it.
In the second picture he basically says that the
haters are going to hate but he is still going to
make money regardless of what they say or think.
Artists that talk about money, cars and girls are
usually male and in music videos the Male Gaze
is usually involved.
Also r’n’b songs are usually songs that can be
sung along to.

3. Goodwin – Lyrics + Visuals
The lyrics for this song show that all Kanye West wants to do is
shine and be on top of the music industry.
As we know his mother died, so the line ‘gonna get on this TV
mama’ suggests that he could be making a vow to his mum that
he will continue
to persue his dream.
It is also a close up of his face.
Then he goes on to talking about how he has a good life with money,
girls, different locations and cars.
The lyrics of this song match with the visuals e.g. 'welcome to the good
life' the visuals are of bubble writing.
The lyrics match the visuals all throughout the music video.

4. Goodwin-Music + Visuals
The music and the visuals does not really go together as the beat goes and the images are not
synchronous.
The video is edited to cut sometimes in time with the beat or not whether it is fast paced or slow
matching the melody.
These two pictures are of when the music and visual is synchronous.

5. Goodwin-Record Label + Close Ups
Close ups are important to the record label to
ensure that audience gets full access to the
character or personality an artist is. It lets the
audience have a connection with the artist.
Close ups used in music videos can be to show
off facial expressions.
If there were no close ups then the audience may think that the artists facial expressions
do not want to be shown or if they are trying to play a certain character it would be hard
to sympathise or encourage with their character.
In featured songs, the main artist tends to have more close ups than the other.

6. Goodwin-Notion of looking-Voyeuristic
There is only one girl shown in this music video so
voyeurism is shown as the
outfit is revealing and the facial expressions are
sexual on the woman has suggests that she is only
there
as something to look at.
The Male Gaze is literally shown here as Kanye West
is looking at a half dressed woman.
This could encourage men who watch the music
video to look at the woman in a sexual way.
In this music video, the
notion of looking is not
really applied as Kanye
West is mainly
addressing the
audience instead of
trying to create a
relationship with a
woman.

7. Goodwin- Intertexual Reference
Quote ‘best things in life are free’ is something your
mum would have told you or you might have heard
elsewhere. This may make you feel like you understand
the quote in the song and it makes you want to carry on
Watching to see if there are any more quotes you can
relate to.
Those who speak slang will know that ‘haters’
means people who critsise everything you do and
don’t want you to do well. Everyone has haters, so
nearly everyone can relate to what he said`.
When he says ‘close my eyes
and imagine’ everyone
imagines that they could be
Rich.

8. Styles
Bob Dylan’s video “Subterranean Homesick Blues credited as
one of the first lyric music video. No lip reading was needed
unlike normal music videos. That experiment turned into our
cultural understanding in music today and the post
modernism adds something new like colour and got rid of the
card to hold up the lyrics.
This video is a new improved concept of Dylan’s
music video. In this video the lyrics are presented on
the screen but in different formats and images.

9. Why I Chose The Music Video
I like this music video because of the visual effect
through out the music video which is catchy and
makes me want to listen to the song just to see the
visual effects and the lyrics on the screen as I listen.
The video is in black and white with the bubble writing and
multiple images in colour. At the start of the video and throughout
I started to see that what he was saying was being shown in the
form of writing and images in different formats but saying the
same thing.
I like this picture because it shows Kanye West trying to
dance and having fun which we don’t see much.