jason

Genre Conventions Andrew Goodwin, in Dancing in the Distraction Factory (1992), identified that the music video complies with certain characteristics found in the genre. This is the study of that genre and how it came to be Dancehall originated in the late 70s as a variation of reggae. It was a less popular form of reggae than the roots style which originated I the late 60s, they both dealt with different ideals, roots being more spiritual and about the ideals of the common man, dancehall has various influences to the style but most controversial of these influences are the homophobic lyrics. The music is best known for its digital rhythm, this is what has made it so popular amongst its audience. At its time to have music in this style was the newest and therefore the ‘hottest’ possible sound. Since it was developed in the late 70s access to more synthesised sources has advanced. This shows that the prevalence of digital technology can only bring this style further into the future. Possibly the first major hit for dancehall was “(Under me) Sleng Teng” by Wayne Smith, this was one of the first entirely digital soundtracks. Since then as better digital keyboards and other technology has emerged dancehall has moved on. As this style grows more and more popular there may be changes to the genre conventions when it hits the mainstream, especially the themes the songs address. Today’s popular mainstream artists include ‘Elephant Man’ and ‘Sean Paul’; they both kept true to the dancehall style whilst also being able to fuse other styles. Modern dancehall incorporates essence of rap and hip hop both in the music and in the style of the videos. They naturally share connotations such as the bias toward performance driven videos and the narrative style. Also there are similarities in the construction of the video with the half naked women dancing around the dominant artists. This is reflective of the male and its ideals in which the camera is the male’s perspective and this male perspective takes a sexual view at the women in the video. This image has very literal connotations of the ideals of the male gaze as taking a sexual dominant view of women. In this shot we actually see a half naked woman offering herself to a large, domineering, bulk of a man. This connotates both to the male gaze and to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in which once a being has fulfilled basic needs the last thing they require is aspirations, in this case it is a male’s aspiration to be like the man in this shot and have women willingly give themselves up to him.

There is also the depiction of a glamorous life, which is common in hip-hop videos; however location and clothing is often exotic and reminiscent of the Caribbean, birthplace of dancehall music. Also as with many genres there are the frequent close-ups to create links between the audience and the artist. This is common in nearly all mainstream music styles.