The document discusses ideas for the design of a magazine covering the rap genre. It suggests including interviews with rap artists, information on upcoming concerts and songs, and charts showing the popularity of rap music. For the cover, it recommends featuring a rap artist with an expressionless face wearing expensive jewelry and clothes to identify them as a rapper and appeal to readers. The inside could include sections on music, fashion, news and contests for tickets to concerts.

1. Task 6
Joe Lisle

2. My chosen genre
The genre I have chosen is rap and this is because it is a mainstream genre
that has recently got popular and is one of the latest trending style of music
currently. Rap has been around since 1970 and then there was not many
famous rappers during that time. Rap is more popular with teenagers rather
than kids and adults and this may be because of the genres explicit nature.
Though not all rap is explicit and conveyed in a dark way. There are currently
a handful of popular rap artists such as:
• EMINEM
• Jay Z
• Kanye West
• Drake
• Lil Wayne
• Wiz Khalifa
• 50 Cent
• Nikki Manaj

3. This picture of the rap artist Eminem is good because anyone who saw this
would easily tell that this is a rap artist. I would like my front cover main
image to have similar features to this such as the expressionless facial
expression that Eminem has which conveys will overwhelm readers. The
clothes he is wearing gives off aggressive connotations as leather jackets can
be associated with gangs which makes it obvious that he is not a pop artists.
This image uses directly addresses the audience which engages readers. The
model also wears jewelry around his neck which shows his wealth as it looks
quite expensive.

4. Location Reece
Having a graffiti wall as a
front cover background
would be suitable for the
rap genre you wouldn't’t
see other magazines use it.
Graffiti also links well with
rap as graffiti in the
background will make a
model look rebellious. The
graffiti wall also has explicit
connotations as graffiti is
often seen in working class
areas such as the hood.
This background is a good
suggestion as it is a white
wall which can give off pure
connotations but to mainly
have the model to be in the
middle of the front cover
and the white background
will make my rapper stand
out. The wall is not
completely white but instead
has some grazes on the wall
to connote and give off a
negative feel.

5. Costume and appearance
Rap artists can be easily identified as rappers by there clothing because their clothing
is usually very expensive and fashionable. I would like my rapper to wear clothing such
as snapbacks and hoodies and have a lot of jewelry to make them look rich. This can
appeal to readers because they will admire the model for their expensive appearance.
Rappers can also have darker looks which makes them look rougher. This will give off
connotations such as violent and aggression. These clothes will not look as expensive
but look like working class clothing. I will like my model to wear clothes such as
snapbacks, hoodies, jewelry and expensive clothing.

6. Charts
This chart shows that rap is a mainstream
genre as it is in the top 10 which shows
that rap is very popular and people often
listen to it. This chart suggests that pop
music is more popular with people as pop
is taking up the majority of the list. Often
rappers are featured in many pop songs
which is good as rap can appeal to a wide
range of audiences.

7. Pictures of real people
I think this photo of Liam will be a good front cover model as
he has features that make him look like a rapper. His facial
expression is perfect as it does not show much emotion and
looks expressionless which is good as most rap artists that
get featured on the front cover of a music magazine mostly
have that same expression to convey the seriousness. His
clothing is good as he is wearing clothes that a normal
person would not usually wear out which makes it obvious
that he is a rapper. I would like to use Liam as my model
because he features that appeal to rap audiences.
I would like to use this model (Ian) as he has a more
positive facial expression which will suggest his raps will
be a lot more light hearted than very explicit. The
snapback makes him look more of a rapper as rappers
tend to wear these hats a lot but they mainly wear them
backwards to make them look edgier than they already
are.

8. Interviews
Tickets that can be
won
Concerts
Latest songs
Popular songs
News
Fashion
Things that will appear in my music
magazine

9. This vibe magazine is good as it has a very popular rap
artist to feature on the front cover of the magazine
which is good as rap is very mainstream and having one
of the most popular rap artists featured in the magazine
will draw in more readers. The model looks at the reader
to directly address them as it engages the audience to
make them feel closer the Drake. The magazine also
shows other rap artists at the top which will appeal to
more people as it makes readers feel that they should
get the magazine to read about them.
The denotations of Drake in the front cover is that he is
wearing expensive necklaces, snapback and black
clothing. The connotations of the colour black is to
suggest that the content is serious and it will be explicit.
The black background as well as the black clothing makes
drakes face stand out so people can quickly recognise
drake which will appeal to his fans.

10. The XXL magazine uses a close up of the rappers face (Jay-
Z) and this is to draw the attention from readers to his face
to make him the main image. His face is looking directly
towards the reader using a serious expression which will
get audiences and fans to feel closer to him as they will
feel as if they are getting attention from him. This face also
connotes that he means business and the main image links
with the main cover line as it says ‘The BIG Business issue’
which is why Jay-Z is using a serious facial expression.
The denotations of Jay-Z is that he is wearing what looks to
be expensive clothing and has a valuable necklace to
represent wealth. The ear piercings shows that he is
fashionable. The connotations of this suggests that he is a
rapper who is not too explicit but not too light hearted.
The white background makes Jay-Z’s face stand out as he is
a black rapper and it makes his head very visible and eye
catching. The colour red is used for his name at the bottom
left of the magazine which also uses a bold font in all
capitals which has the connotations of him being a
powerful rapper. The magazine also appeals to a niche rap
audience as it also shows other rappers underneath the
main cover line to appeal to those who interested in other
rappers besides jay-z.