Research- Conventions of Hip Hop / Rap music

Conventions of Hip Hop / Rap music 

Background of Hip Hop / Rap music:

• Hip hop music, also known as rap music, was formed during the 1970's in the United States of America. This genre of music consists of stylised rhythmic music and often accompanies rapping, which is a chanted rhyming speech. Hip hop/ Rap music became increasingly popular in New York, during this era, particularly among African American youth. In addition, The Sugarhill Gang released a song in 1979, called 'Rapper's Delight' and this track is widely regarded as to be the first ever hip hop record to gain a widespread popularity. Furthermore, before the 1980's, hip hop music was largely restricted within the US, although during this era, the genre began to spread nationally and started gain popularity in other countries.

Conventions of Hip Hop / Rap music

• The music is often about relationships, love, everyday struggle , prejudice and gang culture.
• The music varies from being loud and aggressive, to calm and relaxed.
• Music includes a steady and energetic beat. 

Conventions of Hip Hop / Rap music videos:

• Narrative's usually tend to be about partying/clubbing , having authority, being part of a gang or about relationships/breakups.
• Male artist's are presented as having dominance over women and therefore women are presented as being objects of lust.
• Usually reference to the artist's wealth via the use of expensive costumes , jewelry , cars or shown to be spending their significant about of money. 
• Clothing is generally sporting attire, especially Basketball shirts due to this presenting the artist's strength/power. 
• Low angles tend to be popular in hip hop / rap videos. This is because it portrays the artist as having great authority over the audience. 
• Video's usually show the sexuality of women and the attraction between both genders.
• Artists are shown to be very expressive, via their use of hand gestures, facial expressions and body language. 
• The artist is often the main character and therefore has the camera predominately on themselves.
• Hip hop / Rap is stereo-typically associated with teens,as teens tend to be the main audience for this particular genre.

Key players in Hip Hop / Rap music:

A key player in hip hop / rap music at the moment is male artist, Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick's last album released was called 'To Pimp a Butterfly', which has been shown to be a great success, although this album never actually went on a national tour. One of the main tracks which featured on this album, is called 'Alright' and this video includes many stereo-typical conventions of hip hop / rap music/videos.

In this video the narrative is predominantly based around prejudice which is held against Black American's in today's society. The narrative is also about gang cultures, violence and presents the artist as having authority by showing him having a lot of money. In addition, his wealth is referenced via the use of expensive clothing, jewelry and cars. All in which are common conventions of a hip hop / rap music video. Furthermore, the lyrics are about prejudice, gang culture, authority and rebellious behavior and the music is loud, aggressive and has a steady and energetic beat. 

Another key player in hip hop / rap music is female artist, Nicki Minaj. Nicki's most recent album; 'The Pink Print' was released on 12th December 2014 and was the name of her most recent worldwide tour. One of the main tracks which featured on this album is called 'The Night Is Still Young' and this video includes many stereo-typical conventions of hip hop /rap music/videos. 

In this video the narrative is predominantly based around having fun,young love and teens enjoying life. Also,Nicki is presented as being fun and seductive via the costume choice and wearing a full face of makeup. In addition, her wealth is referenced via the use of expensive clothing, jewelry and cars and therefore presents her as having authority. Furthermore, Nicki is shown to be the main character in this video due to the camera being predominantly on herself. All in which are common conventions of hip hop / rap music/ videos. Another point to note is that the lyrics are again about young love and fulfilling life to the best you possibly can and the music is calmer and more relaxed, compared to Kendrick's video, however this just shows how diverse hip hop / rap music is. 

 Laura Mulrey's theory on the Male Gaze, suggests that women who are in front of the camera are usually objectified by the male camera crew and forms the idea of Voyeurism. This is the idea of looking in order to gain a sexual pleasure and therefore male viewer's gaze at the screen to notions of voyeurism. In addition, Goodwin argues that the female performer will frequently be objectified in this fashion, often via a combination of camerawork and editing with fragmented body shots, emphasising a sexualised treatment of the artist. Furthermore, I feel that this is very common within music video's across a variety of different genres, especially in the Hip hop / Rap environment. And Mulrey's and Goodwin's theory can be noticed in Nicki Minaj's video above.