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1. Codes and Conventions of
Rap videos
By Steve and Nayf

2. Lyrics
 Most of the time, when you listen to a rap songs lyrics there is a clear storyline to what
the artist is saying. This story may relate to when the artist was younger and may have
had particular struggles, which is often the case with Eminem's songs. Eminem is a very
deep artist and most of his songs have a clear emotional storyline; or some point in the
artists life where they feel something significant happened(good or bad), so that when
they perform the passion of this particular moment is portrayed to a crowd, or in the
music video. I believe that Devlin is particularly good at showing how passionate he is
when it comes to his music and performing to crowds or in videos, and as he lived on a
rough estate in London when he was little, he had a lot of hard times, which relate to his
songs as mentioned above. In most rap songs the lyrics are never jolly or happy, they
always seem to be dark, about the hard times the artist has had or drugs and guns there
is a clear stereotype about rappers and their lifestyle which is not only portrayed
through their music videos but through the lyrics thrmselves.

3. Props and setting
 The props involved in music videos often make or break the video and Rap has a clear set of conventions when it comes to props, for
example if an artist such as 50 Cent dressed up in the same type of clothing as Lady GaGa then his video would not be taken as
seriously at all, his target audience would not be pleased at al with his music video and his customer base would rapidly diminish. A
common convention in Rap videos is for it to be all about woman, money, cars, drugs and sex; this is normally seen in the lyrics and in
the props themselves. Therefore in most Rap videos you will tend to see, half naked provocative woman to which conforms with Mulvey
male gaze theory, as it would attract men which falls into the rap genres primary target audience of young black men. There will be also
loads of props to represent money and wealth, in some cases it is suggested it is made from drug dealing, such as expensive cars,
massive gold chains, grills, expensive clothes etc. These normally tie in with their lyrics quite well as it is what they tend to rap about.
Although some of these props may not be accessible for us to use, we will try our best to fit into the codes and conventions of this
genre.
 The setting is also really important and one big convention in rap videos is the setting of their childhood home, usually in a rough
estate ‘the hood’. This is because this is what best suits their characters and genre of music, it shows where they were brought up and
their poor roots but the props and money show how rich they are now so it doesn’t matter where they were brought up which will be
seen as inspirational to a lot of their target audience. However some rappers like Drakes music videos include expensive exclusive places
like yachts and mansions which goes against the common conventions of most rappers, perhaps to show that they have moved on past
their childhood and are now onto bigger and better things. The settings which artists use to record their music videos similarly to the
'Meaning' section often relate to what the artists lyrics are trying to portray. An example of this is Eminem's 'Like Toy Soldiers' video
which is generally a very dark video, sometimes in black and white to portray a dark moment in his life. In part of the video he is also in
a hospital which relates to the lyrics because his friend has been shot and is trying to be revived, whilst he is outside of the medical
room looking very angry and helpless, which is again shown by his body language. In our video we want to try and link our setting to
our lyrics as best as possible to convey to the common conventions of the rap genre, and to help create a cohesive story within our
music video.

4. Camera angles and cuts
 The different camera angles and cuts used in rap videos are much different to in other
genre's. An example of this is Devlin's 'Runaway' music video - there is lots of different
camera angles used and quick cuts between scenes and angles. This is particularly
apparent in rap music videos as a pose to other genres, which I believe is mostly down
to the fast paced nature of rap tunes, which means the editing accommodates the tone
and pace of the song. In a lot of rap videos there will be close ups on the artists
jewellery (grills, chains) to emphasise how much money they have, the artist will
generally be spitting bars with the camera zooming in closer and closer onto them.
 Another common convention is the use of dark lighting and low angle shots when
focusing on the singer. This is because in most rap videos, they are speaking of darker
topics that require dark lighting and urban settings to accompany the meaning behind
the lyrics. Dark lighting can help keep the video and it's message mysterious and
therefore thought provoking. Eminem is a prime example of a rap singer who preaches
in his songs. because he is trying to produce a message for his audience, it makes sense
that he is shown through low angle shots to make him seem more powerful and
important.

5. Mise en scene- Clothing
 A common convention of clothing in Rap videos is the use of expensive and extravagant jewellery, mainly
gold chains, bracelets, rings and grills. This regularly links directly to the lyrics as a lot of rap videos rap
about drugs and drug money so they jewellery would represent all the money they have made from
‘trapping’. The jewellery could be seen as a symbol of wealth and hope for the target audience as a lot of
them will be from poorer backgrounds and would aspire to be like the artist in the video. Again flaunting
their wealth, rappers commonly wear really expensive branded clothing and in some cases start their own
clothing line to appeal to their target audience further, such as 50 cent.
 Although rappers will claim to have their own fashion sense, stormzy with Adidas etc, most rappers
actually dress quite similar. They all tend to wear baggy clothes instead of fitted clothes with their trousers
hanging below their bum. Generally all very dark clothing with snapbacks or hoods covering their faces,
perhaps to convey a sense of mystery, to show how they lurk in the shadows and come from a darker
background than other people.

6. Lethal Bizzle – Pow

7. Mise en scene -Clothing
 As you can see in the image on the
right, this video definitely follows the
common codes and conventions
when it comes to clothes. They are
wearing dark hooded clothing to
convey that sense of mystery and to
emphasise their dark childhood.
Their clothing is also similar to the
background of the video making
them almost one with the
background as the back round is also
very dark. Its almost as if they are
hiding in the shadows again
reinforcing that idea of mystery.

8. Mise en scene – Setting
 There are various settings throughout this music
video, one of them being a bank vault which
they are robbing. Although this particular scene
isn’t seen often in rap music videos, it does
follow the convention of crime and money quite
well. The scene is still really dark which follows a
main convention portraying the dark and
prohibitive nature of the crime they are
committing. The lyrics also directly link with the
scene which is common as they are rapping
about getting ‘just a bit more paper’.
 The initial scene is set in an a abandoned car
park which definitely follows the codes and
conventions of a rap video. This reflects the
connotations of gangs and black culture as they
are normally seen or associated with derelict
places, especially in rap music videos.

9. Camera shots
 A common convention that this rap video follows is that the
camera regularly cuts to a close up of the artist, in this
particular video when Bizzle says ‘Pow’. This is used to draw
attention to the artist and to emphasise the word ‘Pow’ as it is a
quick and sharp cut to his face then back off. It is also common
to show the artist's facial expressions as much as possible.
Rappers tend to look really angry when rapping which is
cohesive with their lyrics so by using close ups to show their
facial expressions it gives a realistic feel to their music and
helps the audience engage with the music video further.
 They also tend to use mid shots of the artist doing something
without him looking at the camera at all this means there is no
direct mode of address, so instead of creating a personal
relationship with the audience rap tends to be more mysterious
and dark. As you can see in the shot to the right with him in a
dark dingy place, in dark clothing with his hood up; it creates a
sense of mystery and emphasises the dark nature of rap music.