Lyric analysis

                    Lyric analysis - Role Model - J Cole

Introduction

The Lyrics within J Coles song portray deep meanings and messages that are personal to himself. The lyrics suggests the pain and suffering the J Cole has been through. We can see this during the introduction where he says "First things first: Rest in peace Uncle Phil". This shows that he has lost relatives that have meant a lot to him, and that he looked up to, hence the song Name Role Models. Straight away, we start to see conventions of the rap genre, as its introducing themes of struggle, which is displayed heavily in other rap songs. Also, this suggests that he lost the one person that was his inspiration, as he says in his lyrics "You the only father that I ever knew" and "I'mma be a better you" which at first, implies the lack of hope, but then revives hope back into the song when he says "I'mma be a better you". J Cole is portraying messages about hope, and how we can't live without it as it's our one inspiration to change our lives for the better.


Verse 1

In verse one, messages and values of fame is shown.  The first message is shown through the lyric "I thought back, back to a better me before I was a B-list celebrity" This suggests that fame has corrupted part of J Cole, as he believes that he has become detached from reality.

Also, the lyric "No role models and I'm here right now" suggests that he has become successful on his own. This gives his viewers, who are part of the C2/DE demographic hope, as they may be in a similar situation, where they have no one to look up to and to take inspiration from. We can also input Richard Dyers theory from the lyrics. J Cole is constructed to represent the stereotypical C2/DE demographic, as his lyrics talk about struggle and lack of influence in his life. This suggests that he is constructed to represent "real people", so spectators can connect more with the artist, therefore gives them more revenue as spectators buy the artist songs/albums, and attend their concerts.



Verse 2

J Cole states one of the meanings behind this song, and it can be seen in this verse. J Cole states that materialistic "L.A. hoes" got that way because their only only role models were talentless reality tv stars. We can see that in the lyrics "I don't want no b**** from reality shows out-of-touch-with-reality-hoes" This suggests that people have unrealistic expectations of how they should be, and suggests that some people are corrupted by unrealistic images because of the role models they look up to.


My groups Interpretation


My group also had similar and different concepts of what the lyrics were implying for this song Role Models. Radjvinder stated that J Coles only role model was his uncle phil, who is no longer with him. She said that this means he has no Role Models, and the lyrics suggest that he is searching and trying to find his next role model. The others also mentioned similar concepts of the messages behind the song when having a group discussion on interpreting the songs lyrics.

Location Recce

                                  Location Recce

For this blog post, our group went out around the sixth form to find suitable locations for a music video. We had to take into account the different factors when finding a suitable place. For example, lighting, and power sockets for equipment that require a electrical source. We also wanted to make sure that our creativity wouldn't be at a disadvantage if the locations we used didn't have the right facilities or the right "feel" for the rap genre. For example, we wouldn't want to film in the country side as it's not part of the rap conventions, unless are intentions were to subvert genre conventions. 

Location 1 - The gantry

This location has high end facilities that we will be able to use during the production of our music video task. The gantry has the ability to control lighting, sound and many other elements. The control over lighting is key as we can create different visual effects which allow us to capture unique camera shots.

Computers on site reduce time, as editing
can be done whilst shooting, making it
a more efficient process

Photo showing some of the equipment
at our disposal 

                                                                                           

Location 2 - Theatre

This location goes hand in hand with the Gantry. We can create different types of visuals when in the theatre, as we can change the lighting by using the Gantry. The theatre also has a large amount of space so we have the ability to create different shots and angles. 

Location 3 - Portswood

This location is good for rap conventions, as it shows urban city life which is a common theme throughout the rap genre. Therefore, this location will allow us to conform to the conventions of rap music. Also, the graffiti suggests themes of poverty, which is another common theme focused on within the rap genre. 

Initial ideas

                                       Initial Ideas

After a tough group discussion, we have finally chosen our song from our chosen genre. We collectively decided to go for a song by the artist J Cole called Role Models. We originally decided to pick The real slim shady by Eminem however, we believed that the narrative would be hard to copy as acting would be required, due to it being a linear/episodic narrative which is story based.

Also, the song Role Models doesn't currently have a music video, therefore we can put our own take on the song. This will allow us to create our own messages and values through the visuals on what we believe the songs message is and what the artist (J Cole) is trying to address to the viewers.

Are initial ideas on the representation of women throughout rap, were generally negative. This is due to the consistent sexualisation of women throughout thousands of rap music and music videos. This is generally created through visuals which sexualise women by showing them wearing limited clothing. We also identified that lyrics were also a way to represent gender negatively. Females are mainly described as objects through lyrics, with their main purpose set to pleasure the male

Are initial ideas for the representation of ethnicity were a mixture of negative and positive. We believed it was positive to an extent, as it showcases their culture which educates the spectator, as we become more aware with their culture and how they are. However, it could be negative as stereotypically, the star is criminalised through lyrics and other micro features, which not only criminalises them, but people of their ethnicity and culture. This widens the gap between them and society, which could create conflict between the two.

Audience theories

                                        The Audience 

For this blog post, I will be taking into account about one of the most vital elements of any product... the audience. To achieve the right target audience that we want our music video to aim for, we have to first establish the main target audience of the rap genre. To do this, we have to identify the different demographics of the genre which is C2, D, E as we assume that this audience can relate with the genre more due to it's messages and values and the connections they have with their lives. For example, these demographics stereotypically experience Crime and poverty stricken areas which is commonly shown in rap.

As well as using demographics to establish our audience, we can also use psychographic profiling to give us a more detailed/advanced idea of who are consumers are. This involves being able to categories people by acknowledging their individual wants and needs. This allows us to target the audience directly which is much more effective as it allows us to attract a wider audience as they become satisfied with our product as it meets their individual needs.

Another way of identifying our audience is by using the LifeMatrix segments. There are 10 different types of audiences in the LifeMatrix segments. The ones that we believe apply mostly to rap are:
- Tribe Wired: Digital, free-spirited, creative young singles.
- Fun/Atics: Aspirational, fun-seeking, active young people.
- Struggling singles: High aspirations, low economic status.

Down below is a Prezi giving information on each of the three different types of audiences that rap could appeal to, and how we could make our music video appeal to them.

Representations in the rap genre

           Representations in rap

There are many different representations to discuss. However, in rap certain representations are much  more common than others. These representations are age, gender, and class and status. However, some of the most important ones tend to be around culture and ethnicity due to rappers being proud of their own background.

                                                    Bobby Shmurda - Music video

Down below is a prezi on the different representations showcased in this music video and what kind of image are they portrayed in e.g. negatively or positively. I also talk about other representations that aren't necessarily evident in this music video, however are a big part of the rap music industry.



How are these representations created?
Class and Status - Performance (Mise-en-scene) is predominately the main aspect in creating representations during the music video. The artist and the surrounding people, create a stereotypical representation of the "D" and "E" demographic mainly using Hand gestures (performance, Mise-en-scene) which symbolise gang culture. Another Example of this, is when they symbolise a gun through their hand gesture, which depicts gang life in urban area's within America.

Gender - Performance is once again the most dominant micro element in constructing representation of gender within the music video. However, it subverts gender conventions of the rap genre as it doesn't include any females for the duration of the video. Gang signs and gun gestures can be seen through out the video, captured by Medium shots (Camera work). This is very negative as it seems to criminalise the culture and ethnicity of people living within urban area's of America, which widens the gap between them and society, as they become fearful of the "D" and "E" demographic.



What I have learnt so far
During this post, I have been able to explore many different representations and how they are portrayed in the music/rap industry. I have a better understanding of how people are represented in the rap genre due to my analysis of this video, and also the detailed analysis of another video during class.

Eminem Star Analysis

                                 An analysis of Eminem

Background of Eminem
Marshall Mathers (Eminem) is an American Rapper, record label owner, and songwriter. Born in 1972, Marshall was raised in Detroit by his mother and is the starting place of Eminem's music career.

Music career
Eminem has won 15 grammy's in his entire music career. Eminem is known for his artistic creativity through his lyrics as well as his alter ego Slim Shady. Eminem has also received the global icon reward during the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards. Eminem portrays the stereotypical life of a rapper (from rags to riches) which is why he is a great artist to analyse for this genre as he meets conventions as well as subverting them.

Music style
Eminem's music style is very abstract and unique. Eminem creates a story through the use of the linear narrative/episodic narrative which helps the viewers understand his lyrics and him as a person. This is a contrast to the stereotypical conventions of the rap genre as typically, it's all about the star image due to institutions  controlling the star. Eminem didn't like this and so created his own record label, shady records.

Logo for Shady Records

Outside of music
Outside of his music career, Eminem has various acting roles in films. One of his most famous roles is from the film 8 Mile which is about Eminem's life and showcases his upcoming before becoming a mainstream rapper. In this movie Eminem plays as him self (Marshall Mathers).