CODES AND CONVENTIONSBY BADIBAKE-DOLVANI NGAVANDJE

RAP/HIP-HOP

In Rap/Hip-Hop music videos. They mainly have concept videos with a little bit of performance or narratives. Their concept videos are most commonly associated with drugs, money, guns and/or women.

The narratives in rap/hip-hop videos are quite dark and most of them are about gun violence like in the “War Ready” video by Rick Ross, Young Jeezy and Tracy T and also about money and gang association like in the “Bugatti” music video by Ace Hood, Rick Ross and Future.

The videos for Rap/Hip-Hop videos are mostly set in very expensive and rich places. For example, the “No Flex Zone” video was set inside a mansion where they had a pool party and a night party. Very rich and expensive locations. Another common location for Rap/Hip-Hop music videos would be around abandoned houses or warehouses for music videos with a concept of drugs and gang violence such as the “Trap” music video by Rich The Kid and the MigosThe artists in the video are also seen to have a certain style of dressing. They are all seen wearing really expensive brands and wearing a lot of expensive jewellery such as chains and rings. They are seen wearing designer brands like Giuseppe Zanotti, Christian Louboutin and Versace.

R&BRnB music videos are mainly narrative music videos with routine performances. The concept of the videos are mainly about love and relationships and also about heartbreak, women and promiscuity. For example, the “Wiggle” music video by Jason Derulo and Snoop Dogg are about the physical attraction of girls having big bums.

The narratives in RnB videos are about heartbreak and love. For example, the “Don’t Judge Me” music video by Chris Brown has a narrative which shows him saving the world to save the people he loves. Also in the “TKO” video by Justin Timberlake you see him fighting with his girlfriend, having sex but his girlfriend kills him in the end. In this video you see heartbreak and betrayal.

The artists in the videos are seen as very romantic, caring and really loving people. They are similar to Hip-Hop/Rap artists and also wear really expensive designer clothing such as Versace and Gucci and other designer brands but they do not show off their wealth.

The locations for the music videos are mainly set in nice rich houses like in the “Wiggle” video and like the “TKO” video. Very simple but rich locations.

POPPop music videos are mainly focused on the performances and a little bit of concept in it. For example, the Shakira video “La La La” is mostly a performance based video with routine performances and the concept of the video is about the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Most of the concept behind Pop music is about love, emotions and freedom like the “Chandelier” video by Sia.

There are a lot of routine performances and the narratives are different compared to RnB and Hip-Hop/Rap videos. For example, in the “Dark Horse” video by Katy Perry she is seen as a cruel and evil pharaoh of Egypt looking for a king but she kills the men and takes what they have.

The locations for the Pop music videos are set mostly in studios or out on the streets. For example, Pharrell’s music video is set around the city in different parts of the city inside different buildings. Shakira’s video is set inside a studio. The pop artists are made to look like free spirited and fun people. You can see that they are free spirited in the “Chandelier” video when the girl is dancing around an empty house. They do not wear a lot of jewellery or a lot of expensive brands.

BACK IN THE DAYHip-HopAn old Hip-Hop/Rap video I looked at was Changes by 2Pac. This video was a concept based video based on the politics in the USA, racism and how things change over time. The video showed different points of 2Pacs life and all the bad and good things he has experienced throughout his life. It shows him in court and him getting money through rapping. In this video he is seen as a rebel fighting against the government. He is seen in court winning a case being proved innocent. He is also seen as a really happy and caring person. There are pictures of him with his daughter and also when he is on stage rapping. He’s wearing casual clothing and only one chain. This old Hip-Hop video compared to nowadays videos are completely different. The concepts are more about drugs and women in today’s music but back in the 80’s and 90’s they were more about real life and how the government were back then. RnBThis old RnB video I watched was Dilemma by Nelly and Kelly Rowland. This is a concept video mixed with narrative. The concept is about falling in love even though she’s with another man. The narrative was Kelly moving into her new house next to Nelly’s house and they end up falling in love with each other. This video was set in a suburban neighbourhood. The two artists in this video are seen as very caring and very loving and romantic people. They are dressed really casually and not much jewellery on them. Comparing this old video with today’s RnB videos the conventions have changed. Today’s artists are more promiscuous and less romantic but 80’s and 90’s are the opposite. They are more romantic and talk about falling in love with one and other.

PopThis old school Pop video is “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough”. This is a performance based video. The performance in the video is a routine performance done in a studio. In this video, Michael is seen as really free spirited and really joyful. He is wearing a black tuxedo and has a short afro. Comparing this video to today’s videos you can see a type of similarity in the way the music is performed because Pop artists like to perform in their videos and they are also really free spirited and joyful.