Genre Music Video Analysis 2nd VideoBy Jamie Tilsley

Introduction •This is a follow up task for the music

video analysis, where I will be analysing a second music video in the rap genre for stereotypical conventions of the genre. In turn this will aid me in creating my own video in the rap genre and I will know the main features that are included in most videos form the genre.

Music Video

•The music video I will be analysing is “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh) by Rich Homie Quan.

•https://youtu.be/bWMw4vE3J8s

Low Angle shot

• This scene is shot with the camera set at a low height below Rich Homie Quan, facing upwards from below. Here he is also addressing the camera directly, making him the focus. He is placed at a position where he possesses a lot of power, the first indicator being the fact he is above the audience looking down, making them feel smaller. The fact he is also addressing them directly makes him appear more knowledgeable as if he is talking to a child. This is a convention in rap, where the rapper has to be given power and shown to be important.

Setting

• The rapper is situated in a scene with an interesting background and setting. The building he is in front of has lots of glass windows and gold beams. This gives it a posh and expensive look, in turn making the rapper look rich. The high end cars also add to this, and the fact there are more than one of them, gives him an even bigger image of power and wealth.

Women

• Another convention of the rap genre is multiple women showing interest in the main character, in this case- Rich Homie Quan. The fact he is shown dancing and getting close to the women, who are also dressed in minimal clothing, makes him seem more desirable and gives the illusion that he is able to get with multiple women easily. This in turn, gives him more power and the appearance of desirability.

Dancing

• The dancing shown in the music video to accompany the music gives the impression that the people in the video find the music good, and are willing to dance to it. This can give the audience a feel like the music is good also, making them enjoy it more. It also adds to the persona of the rapper, as dancing often requires confidence, so showing him doing this shows confidence.

Costume

• The costume of the artist has been selected in order to show his wealth as much as possible. The jacket is probably worth a lot of money, however, it has been chosen to stay either side of the artists body, so his chest and torso are exposed. This has been done to show as many of his chains as possible. They are clearly the most expensive element in his costume. It is common knowledge that gold is an expensive material, that is why he is shown wearing many large gold change. This adds to the message of the video, showing he is wealthy and links to lyrics such as “$100,000 just in 2 days”.

Props

• The main purpose of the props in this video is to add to the impression of the artist. Like everything else in the video, they are used to make him appear more wealthy and powerful than everyone else. Sports cars and jewellery are the best way to get this across as everyone is aware that these items cost a lot of money.

Body Language

• The appearance and body language of a rapper is key to their persona and making them look powerful. This is done in this video through the way Rich Homie Quan acts. Numerous actions include, getting close to women in the video, dancing and confidently lip syncing the lyrics. All of these require charisma and confidence. By doing this, he comes across powerful.

Narrative

• There doesn’t seem to be a narrative to this music video. The videos aim is to show all of the artists wealth through displaying his expensive possessions. It doesn’t matter if there is no narrative or story, that is not the purpose of the video, the purpose is to match up to the song which is called “Flex”- meaning to show off.

Reflection •By doing this task and analysing 2 music videos, I am able to identify conventions of the rap genre easily and in the future, when filming my own music video for a song in this genre, I can add the conventional elements which come with the rap genre.