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.