This document summarizes representations in music videos, specifically focusing on the R&B music video "The Boys" by Nicki Minaj featuring Cassie. It analyzes how the video portrays gender, ethnicity, and age. The video challenges stereotypes by having two female artists who portray power and confidence rather than being inferior to men. While Nicki Minaj and Cassie are depicted in revealing outfits and dancing closely at times, selling sex appeal to a male audience, the song's message is about women finding "boys" immature. The video also shows Cassie dressing in a masculine suit to further challenge stereotypes.

1. Representation Of A
Music Video
By Ellen Whight

2. Representations In Music Videos
Representations within a music video are things like:
 Gender – Objectification of women, women are seen as objects not seen as human.
Men are also classed as objects, the ‘female gaze’
 Age & Class – Youth, wealth, social class and beauty/ advertisement.
 Ethnicity – Stereotypically African American rappers are portrayed as wealthy, pimps,
drug dealers etc. With the current rise and popularity in Urban and R&B music
racism is no longer an issue yet people can argue this. Black and white artists work
together creating more money for the music industry.
 Region/Place – LA represented as the city to succeed in your dreams or where
dreams are realized. New York represented as night life, gang life and hood life.
London as a grimy capital or wishing it was more like America.

3. What is R&B?
R&B, rhythm and blues is a genre of music. It conveys certain representations
which portray this genre to their chosen audience making it clear for the audience
to identify the chosen genre in the song and
music video. R&B is a popular genre of African
– American music which originated in The 1940’s.
R&B can include, Hip Hop, Rap and Grime
these genres can all link together in the music
industry and music videos.

4. Nicki Minaj Ft Cassie - The Boys
Video Analysis
I will be analyzing the R&B video ‘The Boys’
by Nicki Minaj Featuring Cassie. The music
video includes R&B and Rap. This video
conveys R&B representations about gender/
how women and men are portrayed,
ethnicity and age.
Link -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXF
cr6oy5dk

5. Nicki Minaj Ft Cassie
This video shows some change in R&B representation for women due this song having two female artists one who raps
- The Boys
(Nicki Minaj) and one who sings the chorus (Cassie) there are two shots one for each where they both wear sexy outfits
revealing their bodies, these are bathing suits. It also shows both women off to being in power where in most R&B music
videos they are inferior to men. The song isn’t a typical R&BB song about women it’s the other way round where two
young women are speaking about men who aren’t really men just boys with their immaturity and how they think of
women.

6. Nicki Minaj Ft Cassie
This shot show’s who directed the music video ‘Colin
- The Boys
Tilley’ who is a well known and famous music video
director, he has also directed some of Nicki Minajs
other music video. It also show’s the main artist Nicki
Minaj and who is featuring in the song and video with
her. The colour scheme is pink, again girly.
This shot show’s a blurred out women reading the
news paper yet again a pink tint, showing a picture of
the main artist Nicki Minaj, the title of the song
giving us a clue what the songs about and also some
clues of what happens within the video due to the
writing underneath the picture is bold large black font
whereas the other writing is small and blurred.

7. This shot show’s a quick flash of Nicki Minaj before
going into the next shot below, a close up. This shot
shows here looking glammed up, hair and make up
done. Bright vibrant hair colour to show the wacky
side of her, colours still pink, lilac and blue still
indicating the girly side and who this video is aimed
at. The back ground it light and dark pink dots. Nicki
Minaj stands out from the back ground. Her facial
expression show’s attitude.
This shot show’s a closer up image of the newspaper
headline about what happens in the video. Quite a
violent image, rebellious.

8. This shot show’s Nicki Minaj strutting her stuff down the path
with men following her closely and dancing behind her, yet
again colour scheme pink as what she is wearing has pink on it,
the men's clothing, the car in the background and shops beside
her. Typically R&B set up with men chasing women also Nicki
Minajs clothing is a little revealing within her chest area this
could indicate she is also selling her image as this is how she
does dress but also selling this video and song to men.
This shot show’s Cassie the artist featuring on the song and
video. This shot also shows off some of the background still
following the same colour scheme pink and girly. Cassie is
wearing quite gangster clothing with the big gold chain and
jewellery represented in a R&B music video. Her clothing is
quite boyish and so is her hairstyle slick and gelled back. This
shows off Cassie’s characteristics. It show’s her to be a strong
independent women who’s not afraid to be bold and different
with a little attitude. This show’s what the song is actually
about, men aren't men their boys.

9. In this shot it shows Cassie in a powerful posture and the
camera low angle showing she’s higher status. Her look is
also quite boyish with her hair swept back.
But in this shot Cassie looks more girlish with the outfit she is
in and her hair and make up, her outfit is quite revealing and is
showing a lot of skin, this could be to tell the song and video
to a male audience. Again is higher status due to the low angle
shot making the audience look up at her.

10. This shot show’s Nicki Minaj in a famous and very expensive
motor vehicle advertising the vehicle this is product
endorsement because people have seen Nicki Minaj in this car
someone will want it.
This shot show’s Nicki Minaj and Ciara dancing closely
together , this is a selling technique for their male audience due
to men like women with minimal clothing on dancing close
together it’s an attraction.

11. These two shots of Nicki Minaj and Cassie show them both in a revealing costume, a bikini and a
swimming costume revealing a lot of them within the music video again sex appeal for their male
audience, which sells within the media and especially in R&B. These costumes are also worn to make
them look ‘sexy’.

12. These shots of Cassie show her challenging stereotypes as she is dressed in a manly suit instead of a dress or something
womanly also the colour is blue a boyish colour unlike the colour pink which Nicki Minaj wears within the music video.
Even though she’s wearing a suit it’s still quite revealing as she’s not wearing anything under the blazer again for male
satisfaction and for her look ‘Sexy’. The use of money and gold jewellery worn and used within this shot of the music
video also is a R&B convention making their audience envy what they have, also showing how women can make money
etc.