2. MUSIC VIDEO GENRE
The song I have chosen falls into the R&B category of music. R&B is genre of rhythm and
blues which a soulful melody with a black origin. Rhythm and Blues
artists originally sung about various issues concerning the African American plight and
therefore pain, joy and the quest for freedom; more modern R&B songs
discuss subjects such as love, relationships, sex and heartbreak, which
is demonstrated in the song I have chosen for my music video 'The Worst'. R&B also
combines elements of pop, funk, soul and hip hop.
Over the years, as the world became more controversial and outspoken the image of R&B
changed. People of different generations may have different perceptions of what is R&B.
R&B artists of the 60’S/70’s included Smokey Robinson, Patti Labelle and James Brown.
In the 80’s Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. The 90’s
were Mariah Carey and R Kelly. R&B artists if this past decade include Maxwell,
Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Usher and Jhene Aiko.
The stereotypical conventions of this genre in a music video are
commonly highly sexualised, however the songs that focus more on heartbreak, tend to
be more demure and less explicit in terms of mise en scene in the video and the
storyline. They tend to be more simpler videos and focus on the lyrics in
the song. Females in R&B videos typically wear minimal/revealing clothing, wear
romantic make-up; and red lips, which can have various connotation's which
are synonymous to R&B topics; love, danger, passion etc.. Males in R&B videos are
usually topless which sexualises their bodies and therefore makes them lose power but
also have tattoos which connotes a 'bad boy' image which can be used to attract
a specific Target Audience and makes them instead actually gain some sort of power; it
balances out.
